God or The World? The Two Don't Mix. (Judges 11-12 / Luke 6)

Jephthah makes a rash vow in Judges 11:30-31. Although the Spirit of God came upon him (v. 29), this vow was not from God. I do not believe Jephthah was walking in daily fellowship with God. He seems to have been caught up in the world around him (human sacrifice was acceptable to certain cultures in those days). Are we walking in daily fellowship with God (the purpose of this blog) or do we wait until we hit the end of our rope to make a rash vow such as "God, if you will do ___________, I will ____________."

Jesus was not a man who was stuck in tradition. Rather He was concerned with doing what was right in His Father's eyes (Luke 6:1-11). Are we like Jesus when we have big decisions to make? Do we spend much time in prayer over these decisions (v. 12-16). "The Beatitudes (v. 20-26) demonstrate that the way to heavenly blessedness is opposite the worldly path people normally follow to find happiness" (MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 1129). Again, we are either walking in the ways of the world or we are walking in daily fellowship with God. Which side of the fence do you fall on?

The Omnipotent and Omniscient One (Judges 9-10 / Luke 5)

Abimilech was a bad dude (Judges 9)! This powerful man's actions were very wicked, however there was One more powerful than him that was working behind the scenes (Judges 9:56-57). God is omnipotent (all-powerful) and often shows up when we least expect Him to. There are many people today who resemble the Israelites found in Judges 10. They cry out for God's help only when they hit rock-bottom (v. 10, 15). God would rather us stay in constant communion with Him (I Thessalonians 5:17).

In Luke 5:27, Jesus calls the unlikeliest of men to be his disciple. A tax collector would not have been a popular choice 2000 years ago. Jesus, however, looks past the position of a person and instead focuses on their heart. He knew Levi (Matthew) had what it takes to be a disciple just like He knew what the Pharisees were thinking in v. 22. This is God's omniscience (all-knowing power) at work.

Revival! (Judges 7-8 / Luke 5)

In Judges 7, God dwindles Gideon's army so that He may receive the glory (v. 5). Many people who read this passage focus on the way God seperated Gideon's army (v. 7). However, the focus should be on God and the fact that this victory could only have come through Him (v. 22). God is also with Gideon in Judges 8 delivering the two Midiantite kings (Zebah and Zalmunna) into his hands. God was with Israel under Gideon's leadership (8:28). Can you identify ways in which God's presence is active in your life?

Simon was what we would call today a professional fisherman (Luke5:5). He knew the fish should not be biting at this time and he may have showed some sarcasm to Jesus in his response ("but because you say so"). Simon knew only God could do this because this was not a natural catch of fish (v. 9). With this glimpse of God, Simon could do nothing but confess his sins, fall down, and worship (v. 8). Have you caught a glimpse of God such as this lately where you are left in a revival like position?

Promises of God (Joshua 22-23 / Luke 3)

Much of the OT contains Israel's blunders in their following of Yahweh (God). However, Joshua 22 carries with it a postive tone as this time Israel is found doing right in the Lord's eyes. In Joshua 23:14-16, we see a righteous man on his deathbed faithfully proclaiming the promises of God. "All of the promises of God find their Yes" in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). This positive tone continues on into Joshua 24 as when given the choice to follow the Lord or not, Israel responds 3x that they will obey their God (v. 18, 21, 24). Unfortunately, just like Peter, we will soon see Israel turn back on their allegiance. It seems that Joshua knew his people better than they knew themselves and in his anticpiation of their backsliding, he gave them a warning (v. 19-20).

Luke is known for including more details in his writing than the other gospel writers. We see this in Luke 3:1-2. This attention to detail only helps to autheticate the validity of the Bible. How does John prepare the way for Jesus? He calls for a baptism or repentance (v. 3), uses past prophecy about Jesus (v. 4-6), gives a warning (v. 7-9), tells the people to do that which is right (v. 10-14), and gives exhortations while preaching the gospel (v. 15-18). Not only did John baptize Jesus, but the Father and the Holy Spirit appear at His baptism to authenticate John's message (v. 22).

A Promise Fulfilled! (Joshua 21 / Luke 2)

We see the crux of the matter delivered to us in Joshua 21:43-45. All of the land that had been allotted to the Israelites were the result of a promise made to Abraham (Genesis 12:7) some 400 years before this fulfillment. Remember in the big picture, this is huge! The Israelites had gone through years of slavery and lost faith in God's promise to give them "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8). It was through the race of the Israelites that Jesus, the Messiah, was still to come. This promise was given even earlier in Genesis 3:15. Jesus is the ultimate reason it was important for God to fulfill His promise to the Israelites in bringing them to the land of Cannan.

Both Simeon and Anna walked with the Lord. They both knew and in a way prophesied about this great King to be (Lk. 2:30-32, 38). These early childhood and teen years were very formative years for Jesus (v. 40, 52). Not even his own parents completely understood what He was all about (v. 50).

Census Time (Joshua 16-18 / Luke 2)

In Joshua 16-18, we read more about the distribution of land to be given to the Israelite tribes as their inheritance. Perhaps we know of some older folks who need to get started in the estate planning process. Helping older adults in these matters, whether they be a relative, friend, or church member is a ministry in itself. Let us look for and become aware of areas of help and assistance where we can plug in and minister to our senior citizens.

Luke 2:1-4 is known for its detail and is used by Bible scholars to verify the authenticity of the Bible. Notice in Lk 2:1-7 that Jesus was born during the time of the census (v. 2). Only one census in all of time included the Son of God in it. Jesus was born at the perfect time in history. A true mother's heart is captured in v. 19 as Mary kept a photo album in her mind of all the happenings around her son's miraculous birth.

The Big Picture (Joshua 13-15 / Luke 1)

Joshua 13-15 does not appear to be the most interesting of readings as it has many references to land allotments and boundaries. So, why is it included in the Bible? What is the bigger picture? This is what biblical theology tries to cipher out. It is important that we remember the nation of Israel in the OT is God's nation and that He is guiding and leading the nation every step of the way (even in the little details such as land allotments). God is in the process of using this great nation to one day bring the Messiah into the world (Matthew 1). Likewise, a lot of the details in our own lives seem rather routine. But in the big picture, God is even using those things to bring about His plan for our lives and for the future that is to come (Revelation 21).

Yesterday, we read Mary's song (the "Magnificat") and stated that Mary's focus was Christocentric (on Christ, the Lord first and foremost!). Today, we read Zechariah's song (v. 68-79). Zechariah's focus is also Christocentric. His ultimate focus is not on his son to be born (John) but on Christ! We are thankful for both of God's servants (Mary and John), but our worship falls alone at the feet of Jesus.

A Mystery (Joshua 10-12 / Luke 1)

We see in Joshua 10-12 that it does not pay to fight against God or His people! We also see God's complete sovreignty in Joshua 11:20. This theme runs rampant in the Bible. Although people have complete free choice and responsibility, God at the same time has complete sovreignty. This is a mystery that we will never fully understand, yet we can stand back and say, "only God." Lost people still fight against God today. Some poke fun at Him, laugh at Him, and even curse Him while never realizing that He is all at the same time using them to accomplish His full purposes. No matter how hard we try, we will never win a game of hide and go seek with God.

A beautiful song is captured in Luke 1:46-55. I always like to focus on the first two verses (v. 46-47). Here, we see Mary praising the Father! Although Mary is blessed, (v. 48-49 = she has the Son of God in her womb!) she should not be worshipped, as some of our Catholic friends believe. Mary was simply the instrument God chose to use to bring us the One who deserves our full worship!

I AM (Deuteronomy 28-29 / Mark 14)

Dt. 28:1-14 spelled out to the Israelites the blessings of obeying the Lord, their God. The rest of the chapter identifies the disastrous results of not following the Lord. The Israelites are no different than people of today. People know the harm that will come to them from intentionally sinning against God, yet they often continue to persist in their ways. Hangovers, STD's, and bitter relationships are often consequences of people's sinful decisions and proof that it does not pay to disobey God. Ever heard the saying, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay" or "sin is not a pet to tame, but a beast to slay"?

Dt. 29 speaks of the covenant renewal. Covenants in OT times were binding and taken very seriously when compared to agreements made between people today. Dt. 29:29 tells us that there are some things we will never be able to understand (thankfully, God has revealed some things to us!).

Yesterday, we saw that the disciples fell asleep 3x after Jesus had asked them to pray. Today we find Peter disowning Christ 3x (Mk 14: 68, 70-71). I love Mk. 14:62 - Jesus has been speaking in parables, but this time his reply is very direct. He says that He is the Christ and I can see Him looking into the High Priest's eyes and saying "you" will see my return as King one day.

It Is Time! (Deuteronomy 25-26 / Mark 14)

Family lineage was very important in ancient Hebrew culture (Dt. 25:5-10). I would not personally want to return to this ancient culture's ways (having to marry my brother's wife if he passed away), but I do think our present culture has lost something along the way (namely, its identity). I think it is important to know our family lineage and to know our Christian heritage (remember how our country was founded?).
Based off of Dt. 26:13, I would like to ask you a question. How are you treating the "Levite (your minister), the alien (new people to you neighborhood, work, community), the fatherless and the widow (children and youth)?" Last week, I felt complelled to spend some time with the fatherless. If we will only look around us, we will see that the need is great. In Dt. 27, we see a people reverberating with God's holiness.

In Mark 14:41, we see that the hour has finally come. Jesus had been found telling His disciples that the time had not yet come, but now He finally states (and yes, He is a little upset with them for falling asleep 3x) that it is time. It is time for Him to fulfill His Father's purpose in sending Him to earth (redemption of humanity), even if those closest to Him are found desertting Him at his most needful hour (Mk 14:50).

Governors and Kings (Deuteronomy 16-17 / Mark 13)

A reoccuring thought in Deuteronomy 16 is to go to the place the Lord will "choose" (v. 2, 5, 11, 15, 16). God has certain places He wants us to be at specific times. We most likely think of things such as mission trips, etc., but God often calls us to go to places that He will "choose" while we go about our normal day to day activities. We have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leadership in our lives.
Both judges and political leaders have a tremendous responsibility before God (Dt. 17:8-20). It is very important that we keep the local and national authority figures in our prayers and that we "remain subject to them" (Romans 13:1).
God gives us a test to determine whether those we know are speaking in or out of God's Word (truth) in Dt. 18:21-22.

In Mark 13, the gospel takes center stage. Verse 10 says that the gospel must be preached to all nations. Those who hate Jesus and His followers (v. 13) really hate the gospel, but those who stand firm are sure to be standing on secure ground (faith in the gospel). In today's OT passage, we talked about judges (governors) and kings. It is ironic that in this NT passages, we find believers standing in front of "governors and kings" as witnesses to Christ and His gospel message.

Widows and Giving (Deuteronomy 13-15 / Mark 12)

God wants above everything for us to put Him first in our lives. Deuteronomy 13 proves to us this fact. Dt. 14:1-21 reminds me of taking a trip to the zoo. Some of the unclean animals listed become clean animals in the New Testament (Acts 10:13-15). We know God watches over the sparrow according to the famous song and Matthew 6:26, but God is much more concerned with the widow and the fatherless (Dt. 14:29). That is true religion, according to God's Word (James 1:27). I wish all of our debts could be cancelled every 7 years (Dt. 15:1)! Do we give with the right attitude (Dt. 15:10)? That is the heart of the matter because giving will be a necessity until the world comes to an end (Dt. 15:11). Again, we see that God deserves first place in our lives, especially in our giving (Dt. 15:19-23).

In the New Testament, we see Jesus telling us about the Pharisaical nature to take advantage of the widow (Mark 12:40). In contrast, Jesus then shares a story about a giving widow, showing how important widows can be to God's kingdom (Mark 12:41-44).

Indiana Jones (Deuteronomy 10-12 / Mark 12)

Deuteronomy 10-12 is "very rich" in material and I do not have the time to explain it the way I would like. However, the highlights include God's requirement of us (10:12), the importance of training children in God's ways (11:21), the blessing we receive for obeying God's Word (11:27), and the reason why we should worship God in His prescribed way (12:31). I also cannot help but think of Indiana Jones when I read of Moses coming off the mountain and placing the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant (10:5). To this day, no one has located the whereabouts of the ark of the covenant.

Jesus was a Master-teacher. He would often be faced with trick questions from the Pharisees, yet He could manage his way out of them because He knew the Scripture very well (Mark 12:24). In fact, the Pharisees would most often leave the scene feeling embarassed for having asked the question. God used his capstone (Jesus - v. 10) to speak directly to the Pharisees and most of the time, the Pharisees walked away upset (v. 12).

Wishing Wells (Deuteronomy 7-9 / Mark 11)

Deuteronomy 7 is used by many to negate interracial marriage. However, Dt. 7 has nothing to do with interracial marriage (v. 3). God was prohibiting marriage to these other people groups for spiritual purposes (v. 4). God is a "jealous" God (see yesterday's passage) and does not want to share his glory with false gods. In Dt. 8, we should be reminded that we have only made it this far due to God's love and provision over us or else we will fall into the sin of pride (v. 14). At the end of the day, we stand in the same place that the Israelites stood in Dt. 9. It is not because of our righteousness that God sent his Son to die for our sins. On the contrary, we are saved because we need a Savior and there was no good to be found within us.

In Mark 11, God does not want us walking away thinking that our prayers are like wishing wells. Certainly, if we pray that God will move a mountain into the sea, I can guarantee you almost 100% that it is not going to happen right after you pray. What God wants is for us to pray in His will and then have faith and believe that His answer will come to pass.

Here today, Gone tomorrow (Deuteronomy 4-6 / Mark 11)

People from other nations used to recognize the United States as a Christian nation. It would be very hard for the USA to claim Deuteronomy 4:7 anymore. Deuteronomy 4:9 is one of the great verses of the Bible and still rings true today. There is a blessing in following God's commands (Dt. 4:9; 5:33; 6:3). Dt. 6:4-9 is the perfect "parent" passage found in Scripture. Dt. 6 not only tells Israelite parents what to do (v. 4-9), but it tells them why they are to do it (v. 20-25). The implication for Christ-following parents today is to share God's commands with their children and to share with them that the motivation for obedience to these commands is the freedom that Christ gives believers from his death on the cross (at one time, we were all slaves to sin).

Popularity is waning. This is why the artists on the top of the musical charts a few years ago can be scarcely heard today. Jesus experienced immense popularity, peaking with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (v. 8-10). However, it is just a short time before his popularity wanes and the world is calling for his crucifixion. The chief priests were already ready to take his life (v. 18).

Chop Off My Hand? (Numbers 32-34 / Mark 9)

Verse 23 in Numbers 32 appears to be the key verse. We cannot hide our sins from God because as the verse says, "your sin will find you out." We must constantly examine ourselves (2 Corintians 13:5) and confess all known sin (I John 1:9).
Just like the Israelites went through stages on their journey (Num. 33), so do we. We all go through physical stages in life, but as Christ-followers, we also go through spiritual stages. There are milestones in our spiritual journey that we need to celebrate and remember (Exodus 39:7; Joshua 4:7).
Most of us would rather not take the time to create an organizational infrastructure out of our work sites (example - our desk), but we see the importance of organizational principles being put into place by God in Numbers 34 so that things will run smooth. In this case, land was the issue and leaders were placed in charge to assign the land (v. 18).

Anyone can give someone a cup of water (v. 41), but very few people seem to give becuase Christ is motivating them to do so. In verse 42, we see the importance of leading children down the right path in our speech and conduct. God is not telling us to literally go and chop off our hand everytime we sin. This is an example of exaggeration or overstatement (v. 43). Even if we did, our action would not achieve the desired result. When we allow God to change our hearts, appropriate actions will soon follow.

Can I Take Your Order? (Numbers 29-31 / Mark 9)

Numbers 29 reads like a recipe (v. 3 - "three-tenths of flour mixed with oil") or a take out order given to a fast food joint (v. 26 - "I'd like to order 11 bulls, 2 rams, and 14 male lambs"). However, there is a method to the madness. It was very important to the Lord that the Israelites get it just right. Have you ever made cookies and left out the butter?
Numbers 30 deals with making "a vow." In God's economy, it is imperative to keep a vow if one makes it (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). Have you ever told someone you would pray for them and then you never followed through? Vows are seen much more often in the Old Testament when compared to the New.
The main emphasis in Numbers 31 is that God deserves his share or portion. If it is God who fights our battles (Joshua 23:10) for us, then it is only right for Him to receive a portion of our plunder. Think about it....It is God who keeps us alive and brings us jobs, etc. He deserves a portion of what we make.

The reference to Elijah in Mark 9:13 is referring to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14), who prepared the way for Jesus's ministry on earth. The transifugration would have to have been a breathtaking moment and a magnificient sight!