I Chose You Out Of the World1
Judges 3:1-15; 31
1Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.
Israel was surrounded by hostile nations. The Lord intended to keep his people expert in war. Therefore he allowed certain of the neighboring nations to cause them trouble. In this way Israel’s army would always be on the alert and ready to go into battle. The church is also intended to be an army on active duty because the Lord will not allow everything around us to be peaceful.
3These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebohamath. 4They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods. (Ungodly marriages are the source of unceasing evil. We must maintain the separated condition of the people of God or else we will fall into sin and pierce ourselves through with many sorrows. We are not of the world and we must not act as if we are.)
7And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
They got used to hearing talk about Baal and the Asheroth (the groves of trees where Baal was worshipped). They eventually developed a deep respect for the religious beliefs of their idolatrous neighbors. And then their deceiving memories forgot their God. Beware of sin’s slippery slide.
8Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
This king ruled from a great distance. God will find a rod2 for rebels, even if he goes hundreds of miles to find it.
9But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Othniel had been brave in his youth and it is pleasant to hear of him in his old age. If we serve God well in the morning of life, we may be sure that he will honor us before the day is over.)
12And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD. (This time the oppressor was closer to home and the punishment was more severe.) 13He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15aThen the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. (This man struck King Eglon a deadly blow and saved his country from the rule of the Moabites. God hears the cries of his suffering people and at some point, he will raise up just the right person to rescue them.
31After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad,3 and he also saved Israel. (Rough as he was, God honored Shamgar. His simple weapon is a famous treasure in the Lord’s arsenal. God can use us for great purposes and he will, if we have real faith in him and are fully submitted to his will.)
1 John 15:19
2 Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”
3 oxgoad - A tool somewhat like a spear that farmers used to prod or goad oxen to guide them.
Year One, July 2
Does Not the LORD Go Out Before You?1
Judges 4:1-23
1And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died. (That sentence, “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,” comes over and over again; so often that it seems to be the only thing in their history that never changes. If our biographies were written without leaving anything out, would words like these be said about us?) 2And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. (When we read of Israel crying, we know that victory will come. Prayer has mercy running close behind it.)
4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
God uses all kinds of people for his work, including both males and females. In this case a man plays a very secondary part and two women share the honor for defeating Sisera and his army. One strikes the first blow, and the other the last. Although women are not called to go out into public preaching,2 or to fight in the open field like Barak, they can do much at home with the tent peg of one-on-one conversation, and outside of the home by encouraging the soldiers of the Lord.
5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Raman and Bethel in the hill country of Ephriam, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgement. 6She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”
The Lord leads his people with lightweight, easily broken strings. But he has deadly cords to pull his enemies wherever he wants to take them.
8“Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. (He did not have enough faith to lead the battle by himself. Therefore, even though he won the battle, Barak did not get the credit for the victory. We lose a lot when we depend on other people to help us. At the same time he showed he had a humble spirit by battling against General Sisera even after the prophetess told him most of the honor would go to someone else.)
10And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him. (Many good people need only a call from some brave leader and they will join forces with them. God still has his ten thousands in our Israel. Oh, for the right person at the right time! Or, more correctly speaking, Oh, for the Lord’s own Spirit to call us to the combat!)
11Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
Little did he dream, when he rode out in his egotistical pride, that he was being pulled to his own destruction. Some trust in horses, and some in chariots,3 but such weapons are useless against the Lord of hosts.
14And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the LORD go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
The words of Deborah sharpened the sword of Barak. Holy women often encourage the Lord’s ministers.
15aAnd the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. (The Lord won the battle. Barak was just the sword in his hand.) 16And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
God’s sword never misses one who he intends to strike. This is fatal news for the unrepentant.
17But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No’ ”
Sisera’s instructions sound all too much like many in our time. People say, “Tell him I’m not home,” when they really are. Christians should not borrow lying habits from unbelievers.
21But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.
This would have been a very wicked thing to do if her motive was to get wealthy or famous. However, in this case, she acted as the executioner of a man God had already condemned. Sisera was the great enemy of her adopted country and her actions should be praised. Jael understood that this man who had fled to her tent was the enemy of her God and of his people. She carried out her patriotic duty and had no pity on him.
22And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple. (So the proud tyrant was disgraced as well as killed. Somewhere or other God has unknown agents he will use to crush error. He will give them the wisdom to drive a nail through the head of false teaching. Oh Lord, rise up and fight for your kingdom.)
23So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel.
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1 Judges 4:14
2 Spurgeon is speaking here of the Bible’s instruction that only qualified men should be preachers of the gospel. He encouraged women to be active in ministry including one Mrs. Bartlett who taught a weekly class of over 600 women at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. “Spurgeon used often to say that his best deacon was a woman--alluding to Mrs. Bartlett.” (The Full Harvest, page 79) —editor
3 A reference to Psalm 20:7
Year One, July 3
Lead Away Your Captives1
We will now hear Deborah sing her wonderful poem of victory. She was both prophetess and poetess. All powers of poetry should be dedicated to the glory of the God who gives them.
Judges 5:1-18
1Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:
2 “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
that the people offered themselves willingly,
bless the LORD!”
All the praise is given to God. The people were willing, but it is God who made their great bravery successful.
3 “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
to the LORD I will sing;
I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
Kings and mighty leaders would be wise to listen and learn from a woman like Deborah. She encourages them to praise the Lord.
4 “ LORD, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled
and the heaven dropped,
yes, the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD,
even Sinai before the LORD, the God of Israel.”
All the kings around are reminded to remember the glorious advance of Jehovah, when he led his people from Egypt to Canaan. His glory and majesty are shown even on the battlefield.
6 “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned,
and travelers kept to the byways.”
We read about Shamgar in Judges chapter three and Jael in chapter four. In their days traveling for pleasure or business was unsafe. People stayed off the main roads.
7 “The villagers ceased in Israel;
they ceased to be until I arose;
I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.”
Farming could not be carried on. The people fled to the walled towns because they were afraid to live in unprotected places.
8 “When new gods were chosen,
then war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
among forty thousand in Israel?”
When Israel began to worship gods made by humans, God quit protecting them. They were too weak to stop other kings from completely disarming them. They no longer had weapons of war.
9 “My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
who offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless the LORD.”
It is indeed a blessing when those in charge set a good example for others to follow.
10 “Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit on rich carpets
and you who walk by the way.
Laws could not be enforced. The wheels of business had fallen off. No one was safe. But Deborah and Barak changed all that.
11 “To the sound of musicians2 at the watering places,
there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD,
the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.
“Then down to the gates marched the people of the LORD.”
In times of peace, people were not in fear of robbers when they went to the well to get water. They would sing this song of thanksgiving, and the Lord would be praised.
12 “Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, break out in a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
O son of Abinoam.”
Notice how excited the poet becomes.
13 “Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
the people of the LORD marched down for me against the mighty.”
God placed Deborah in the position of ruler, but that did not stop her from praising the others who shared in the fight. It also did not stop her from later scolding those who wanted nothing to do with helping in the fight.
14 “From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley
following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant’s staff;
15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
and Issachar faithful to Barak;
into the valley they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
16 Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds,
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben,
there were great searchings of heart.”
The tribe of Reuben debated whether to help, but they were lazy in spirit. They did not support their brothers. This was a sad business.
17 “Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
staying by his landings.”
Some gave no excuse. Others made up bad excuses. They were not patriotic. They would not fight in the war and missed the glories of victory. How disgraceful that they would not willingly help in such a great cause. Lord, save us from cowardice and laziness. Instead, let us be like the bold, self-sacrificing spirits the poet sings about in the next verse.
18 “Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.”
We must stop here until our next reading.
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1 Judges 5:12
2 Or archers; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain.
Year One, July 4
The Right Hand Of the LORD Does Valiantly1
Let us now consider the rest of Deborah’s magnificent song from:
Judges 5:19-31
19 “The kings came, they fought;
then fought the kings of Canaan,
at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
they got no spoils of silver.”
The enemies of Israel were willing volunteers. They hated Israel so much they were eager for the battle. They did not care if they were paid. They just wanted to persecute and abuse the nation of Israel. Satan has his volunteers to serve him. Why should any of us need forcing to serve the Lord?
20 “From heaven the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.”
The heavenly hosts joined forces with Israel. Even the weather was on their side. The rain from the sky was in their favor. The clouds blazed with lightning and tremendous floods poured from them.
21 “The torrent Kishon swept them away,
the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.”
The Kishon River suddenly swelled to overflowing and flash floods washed away whole armies of men.
“March on, my soul, with might!
22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs
with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.”
The frighted horses pranced until their legs failed them. Sisera’s boasted cavalry became useless. His chariots of iron created only problems for his army.
23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD,
curse its inhabitants thoroughly,
because they did not come to the help of the LORD,
to the help of the LORD against the mighty.”
The people of Meroz dragged their feet. They are cursed not for what they did, but for what they failed to do. Fear made them neutral. Those who will not fight in a patriotic war are a disgrace. “Would that you were either cold or hot!”2 Those who love the Lord the most, are the most disappointed with those who drag their feet and do not seem to care when the kingdom God is attacked.
24 “Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 He asked for water and she gave him milk;
she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.
Sisera saw the milk, but not the nail. Many who are tempted do not see the danger they are in.
26 “She sent her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sisera;
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet
he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet
he sank, he fell;
where he sank,
there he fell--dead.”
Jael’s life may not have seemed important to others, but she did her very best for Israel. Therefore she received as much praise as Barak who led thousands into battle.
28 “Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’”
This is a beautiful picture of the disappointment of the women at home when their warriors do not return in triumph. They did not think about what God might do in the battle and therefore their expectation failed them. The next two verses are almost comical.
29 “Her wisest princesses answer,
indeed, she answers herself,
30 ‘Have they not found and divided the spoil?--
A womb or two for every man;
spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,
spoil of dyed materials embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’”
They imagined out loud, thinking her son and the other soldiers were busy dividing the spoils of war, when they had really lost. The enemies of the church have often thought they have been victorious, only to find their rejoicing was premature. Up until now, the Lord has always helped us and he always will.
31 “So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!
But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might.”
Amen! Amen! Under the gospel we dare to say Amen. But our fight is against spiritual powers, not humans. It is against error, sin, Satan, and unbelief. Oh for the brave hands of men and women to strike our real enemies.
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1 Psalm 118:16
2 Revelation 3:15
Year One, July 5
Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause1
Many years after the times of the Judges, Israel was again in serious trouble. Her holy men and women remembered the Lord’s overthrow of Jabin and Sisera and used those victories as part of their prayer. We must never doubt that the Lord will answer our prayers today, just as he did for his people in the distant past. He may use different methods, but he will achieve the same result.
Psalm 83
A SONG. A PSALM OF ASAPH
1 O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
Oh Lord, your enemies are in a rage. Do not be deaf and silent. Hear their furious threats and rebuke them. They are very proud. Lord, humiliate them.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.
God’s people are his finest treasure. He protects them like others protect gold. Their lives are as precious as jewels to him. To the wicked, however, God’s people are puzzling and worthless. They plot against them. They are dishonest and cruel. But we can still learn from them. Believers sometimes act without thinking things through, but their enemies almost never do that.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
They will only be satisfied with destroying us completely. If they had their way, the powers of evil would not leave a single believer on earth. Remember the massacre of St. Bartholomew,2 and be assured that the spirit of antichrist has not changed.
5 For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant--
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitant of Tyre;
8 Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah
Relatives and neighbors. Old enemies and new. They came together against the favored nation. The wicked will come together for evil, but Christians often refuse to come together for good. This is very shameful.
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God.”
The “pastures of God” refers to the tabernacle. These evil men wanted to attack it and take over the Most Holy Place itself. Their total destruction was a well deserved reward for such vicious disrespect.
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
Oh Lord. Let them have no peace. Let them have no power to fight against you.
14 As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
We must love our own enemies, but when we think of people as the enemies of God and his glorious cause, we cannot love them nor is it our duty to do so. May all those who fight against God; his truth, his love, and his holiness, be totally defeated.
16 Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O LORD.
A sweet prayer. It is a very proper one for Christian lips, because it asks for the salvation of those who are now the Lord’s enemies.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
If wicked people will not bend, then let them break. All the rights of people and all the laws of God should not be set aside just so unholy people have the freedom to sin as they please. If truth and holiness cannot exist unless bad people are crushed, then let them be crushed.
18 that they may know that you alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most High over all the earth.
“Your kingdom come.”3 This is God’s magnificent plan. All events in history move toward it. As a household and as individuals, let us always be found on the Lord’s side.
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1 Psalm 74:22
2 The slaughter of thousands of Huguenots (Christians) by Roman Catholic supporters in Paris, France in August, 1572.
3 Matthew 6:10
Year One, July 6
My Grace Is Sufficient For You1
Judges 6:1-16
1The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, (“A burnt child dreads the fire,” is a common saying, but Israel, after being burned again and again as the result of her sin, returned to it the moment the chastisement2 stopped or the judge was dead. Such is the strange fascination people have for sin.) and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. (This nation was but a puny enemy, and yet they were too much for sinful Israel. Israel had once brought the Midianites to a very weak condition and now they are unable to stand before them. See how sin weakens people.)
2And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number--both they and their camels could not be counted--so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD. (These wandering looters were hard to stop. They were a terrible problem for Israel.)
7When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, 8the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. (It seems that when the Lord sends his faithful ministers, their main job is to condemn. But when we look more closely we see that they also bring encouragement. First the scolding, then the comfort.) 9And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” (“Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”3 God had a good reason to complain. By bringing up Israel’s great sin, the Lord’s servant was taking them on the most direct route to peace with God. Peace with God comes only by admitting we are sinners and pleading for mercy through the blood of Jesus.)
11Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” (The angel of the Lord found Gideon hiding from his enemy, working hard with little to show for it, and miserable. He had very little wheat, because he had no oxen to thresh it. He was in great fear of the enemy, so he threshed in the winepress instead of a regular threshing floor. And yet in his poverty, he received rich grace. “God shows no partiality.”4)
13And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (These were sensible questions, and proved that Gideon had really thought about it.) 14And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (It is clear that the angel was the Lord himself. What power there is in that question, “Do not I send you?” And how inspired must Gideon have been when “the Lord turned to him” and spoke to him.)
15And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (God told Gideon to “go in this might of yours” and made him mighty. He sent him on his mission and went with him. He taught him faith and then honored his faith. How will the Lord glorify himself in each of us?)
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1 2 Corinthians 12:9
2 chasten, chastening or chastisement - The act of discipline which may include scolding, criticizing or pain inflicted for the purpose of correction or moral improvement.
3 Proverbs 27:6
4 Acts 10:34
Year One, July 7
Peace Be To You. Do Not Fear.1
Judges 6:17-32
17And [Gideon] said to the [angel of the LORD], “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speaks with me. 18Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.” (To one person God refuses to give a sign, and to another he does give one. God works one way with one person and another way with someone else. This demonstrates not only God’s wisdom, but also his sovereignty or absolute power to do as he pleases. In this case, Gideon asked for and was given many signs and was not rebuked for needing them.)
19So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah (or about three gallons) of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. (What Gideon intended for a feast was turned into a sacrifice. It did not matter what the Lord did with Gideon’s gift. What really matters is that the Lord accepted both the gift and the giver.)
21Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. (Gideon is given both a sign that God was with him and a hint of the power God could use. God could bring fiery courage out of Gideon’s heart, as well as fire out of a rock. And he could consume Midian as easily as he burned up the unleavened cakes.)
22Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 23But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die. 24Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
25That night the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down.” (Gideon is told to start right away and get rid of everything in his house that is used to worship the false god. Those who want to serve God in a foreign country should begin by serving God at home. He was not commanded to dedicate Baal’s temple to God, but to destroy it. He was not ordered to sacrifice to God on the idol’s altar, but to destroy it. We cannot overdo it when it comes to cleaning out the things that tempt us. The filthy birds of sin will return if we do not destroy their dirty nests. God gave Gideon a wonderful job to do. We should rejoice if he gives us a special assignment.)
27So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. (If we cannot do our duty exactly as we should, we must do it as we can. One way or another, it should be done. Gideon did a glorious night’s work.)
28When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.”
The penalty for idolatry was death. Very often, the people who are the most guilty of a sin are the loudest in accusing others of doing it. They demand that the innocent get the punishment they themselves deserve.
31But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.” (He reasoned with them. If Baal is really a god, then he can take care of himself. If Baal is not a god, then those who claim he is should be put to death. That was the penalty God commanded for those who worshipped false gods.) 32Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.
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1 Judges 6:23
Year One, July 8
Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Have Believed1
Judges 6:33-40
33Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. (When the enemy crossed over the Jordan River, the Lord moved his chosen servant to meet them. At the sound of Gideon’s trumpet, many of the downtrodden people gained courage and came out of their hiding places to face the enemy.) 35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. (The Lord’s people will offer themselves freely on the day of his power.2)
36Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37behold, I am laying a fleece3 of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (See how tenderly the Lord looks on the weakness of his servant’s faith and gives a double miracle to strengthen his confidence. The Lord also gives assurance of his presence to strengthen our faith. Sometimes during the Communion Service he will give us a special awareness of his grace, even though others do not experience it. On another occasion others rejoice in the abundance of the Lord’s grace and we do not. If our religion was a lifeless machine, we could adjust it to always act the same way. If it were merely rituals and ceremonies, we could always keep it from changing. But because it is from the Lord, he is the one who decides when and where his almighty power will be made evident.)
Judges 7:1-8
1aThen Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod.
2The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ (God’s helpers are never too few, but we learn from this passage that they may be too many. This is a blow for those who boast in their numbers, and an encouragement for the few and the weak.) 3Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
4And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” (This was a great test for Gideon’s faith. He may have been weak in some points, but he was mighty in others.) 5So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” (Those who reached down with their hand and drank only a little water at a time were the men who would respond quickly to the enemy. They were ready for war. They were not about to relax until their cruel oppressors had been driven out of the land. These are the kind of people the Lord will use.)
6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouth, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. (The armed soldiers melted away, and only a few trumpeters remained. Now everything was prepared for the fight. Now they were ready for victory. When we are weak, then are we strong.4 When we have no strength that can be seen, we rely on the Power that is invisible.) And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
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1 John 20:29
2 A reference to Psalm 110: 3a, “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power.”
3 Fleece, a soft cloth or coat made from sheep’s wool or the wool obtained from a sheep at one shearing.
4 See 2 Corinthians 12:10
Year One, July 9
Show Me a Sign Of Your Favor1
Judges 7:9-21; 23-25
9That same night the LORD said to [Gideon], “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. (See how gently the Lord deals with his servant. He tells Gideon there is no reason to be afraid and gives him a way to overcome what fear still remains.) 11And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” (God does give signs and assurances to certain sincere people. However, for others it might be sinful to even hope for them. Just because Gideon was given so many signs, does not mean we should expect them. Instead, we should remember our Lord’s words in John 20:29: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”) Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.
12And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” (God brings about a remarkable combination of circumstances. One soldier has a particular dream, another gives it a fearful interpretation, and Gideon is listening in on their conversation. The wonders of Providence2 deserve the careful and adoring eye of the observer. The dream was just what Gideon needed. He was the poor barley cake that would turn the Midianites upside down and flatten them.)
15As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.” (Notice that Gideon takes time to worship even before he returns to the camp. Devotion does not wait for a convenient time.) 16And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’”
19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” 21Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. (Seeing so many torchbearers, and hearing so many trumpeters, they assumed that the army itself must be immense. They panicked and ran for their lives.)
23And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian. (Those who cannot go first, may still be a great help if they will come in later and aid the good cause.)
24Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. (A wise leader is anxious to obtain all the success he can from a victory. When we have overcome evil of any kind we must work hard to make the success a permanent one.) 25aAnd they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. (Faith wins the day against unnumbered foes. Let us only believe and we shall be victorious. The Lord Jesus is our Captain. We shall be more than conquerors.)
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1 Psalm 86:17
2 Usually, when used with a capital “P”, Providence refers to God; when with a lower case “p”, it refers to God’s will, his divine intervention, and his predetermination (predestination).
Year One, July 10
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath1
Judges 8:1-3; 22-27; 32-35
1Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight with Midian?” And they accused [Gideon] fiercely. (When there is a success, everybody thinks that he should have been in on it. They are quick to blame somebody else if they were not included. If Gideon had invited them to join him, would they have accepted? Those who grow angry because they cannot share the honor, are usually the very persons who would have been the least likely to share in the work.) 2And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. (A soft answer turns away wrath. This shows Gideon’s gentle spirit. He obviously had a right to claim the victory all to himself. But rather than coveting all the praise, he gives credit to others; even to the point of overemphasizing the credit they did deserve. Sometimes it is better to give way to people who are being ridiculous, rather than allow their anger to start fights among brothers and sisters in the Lord.)
22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.”
Gideon shines again. He had no desire to become their ruler. He believed the Lord should be their ruler. At the same time, it is natural that our deliverer should be our ruler. If the Lord Jesus has set us free from sin and Satan, then it is not only natural, but also right that he should rule over us.
24And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of the spoil. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels (about 40 pounds) of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
What a pity that so good a man, with so good a motive, should do so wrong a thing. What good reason did Gideon have to make an article of clothing that only the high priest was commanded to wear? A huge amount of evil has come into the world because religious leaders try to dress like a high priest. There is One High Priest above and his ephod is the glory of God. How foolish and how wicked to dream of making priestly costumes for mortal men.
32And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. (From worshiping God in a wrong way, to the worshiping a wrong god, is an easy step. Sadly! Gideon, what evil you did.) 34And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel. (It is no wonder if those who forget God, also forget all others to whom they owe their freedom.)
This chapter warns us to keep close to God’s rules of worship as we find them in the Bible. Even the smallest change may lead to deadly error and terrible evils.
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1 Proverbs 15:1
Year One, July 11
My People Are Bent On Turning Away From Me1
Judges 10:6-7; 9-18
6The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD (Clearly, the suffering the Lord brings on Israel does little to change their hearts. The good effect lasts only for a short time. As soon as God withdraws his afflicting hand, people return to their old sinful ways.) and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the LORD and did not serve him.
These idols should have been despicable in the eyes of those who knew the only living and true God. One sin leads to another, like one drink leads to another. The Israelites became drunk with worshiping the images of false gods. The ceremonies used in the worship of all these false gods were as shameful as shameful can be. This made Israel’s sin all the more disgusting. They abandoned Jehovah completely when they became devoted to these idols. People cannot serve God and Satan. Where falsehood enters, truth leaves in disgust.
7So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites. (As they idolized on all sides, so were they tyrannized on all sides. On the west by Philistines and on the east by Ammonites.)
9And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.
Israel was being crushed under the heavy hand of these idolators. Eventually, their cry for help went up to heaven with great intensity.
10And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11And the LORD said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. (God’s goodness to them in the past only made this current rebellion worse. If God had been rough with them and hard on them, then they might have had some excuse for forsaking him. But they turned against a God who had been kind and gentle and generous to them. How often might the Lord have said to us, “I will save you no more”?)
14“Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” (This made real sense if they really believed in their false gods, but these words must have been a dreadful sound in Israel’s ears. What would happen if the Lord said this to us? How would it turn out for us if God told us to rely on the sinful pleasures and false gods we have trusted in the past? Imagine what would happen if he said, “Go to your self-righteousness for security; turn to your merrymaking or your money for comfort.” What would you say to such hopeless words?)
15And the people of Israel said to the LORD “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” (Confessing their sin and surrendering to God’s will was the wisest thing to do. Everyone who is truly sorry for their sins should do the same thing.) 16So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
They did more than just say they were sorry, they did something about it. They threw away the idols they had worshiped. True repentance is not only for sin, but from sin. They turned to worshiping the true God before he rescued them from the mess they had gotten themselves into. This showed their repentance was real. The Lord would not stay angry with them very long after he saw his people had a genuine change of heart. He loves them too well to do that.
17Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah. 18And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” (Once again, Israel was invaded by enemies. They assembled to defend themselves, but they did not have someone to lead them against the Ammonites. They agreed to submit to the rule of any man who would be bold enough to begin the battle against their cruel enemy. At this point the Lord raised up Jephthah as his answer to their prayers.)
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1 Hosea 11:7
Year One, July 12
I Have Made Him a…Leader and Commander For the Peoples1
Judges 11:5-7; 9-10; 12-21; 23-28
5And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight with the Ammonites.” 7But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
We should be careful who we insult. We may need their help some day. Jephthah was a mighty warrior, but his relatives had forced him to move from Gilead because they did not approve of his father’s marriage to a prostitute.
9Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight with the Ammonites, and the LORD gives them over to me, I will be your head.” 10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”
Jephthah asked no more than had been publicly promised. It was his reasonable reward. So when the Lord Jesus saves us from our sins, it is only reasonable that he should reign over us.
12Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and said, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”
Rather than just getting into a fight with the Ammonites, Jephthah first tries to reason with them. Let us make every effort to live in peace with everyone.2
13And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel on coming up from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably.” (This was just the excuse they used for attacking Israel. Diplomacy3 abounds with falsehoods. The Ammonites had lost the territory in war with the Amorites, and when Israel captured it from the Amorites, it became theirs.) 14Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites (He tried one more time to reason with them, by reminding them what really happened.) 15and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, 16but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. And they sent also to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.
18“Then they journeyed through the wilderness and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab and arrived on the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab. 19Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our country,’ 20but Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people together and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21And the LORD the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.
23“So then the LORD the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel; and are you to take possession of them? 24Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? And all that the LORD our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess. (Jephthah used their own arguments against them. If they really wanted justice, this would have convinced them.) 25Now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend against Israel, or did he ever go to war with them? 26While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? (Undisputed possession for three hundred years was certainly a good reason to not give the land back. It was rather late to use that argument.)
27“I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The LORD, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” (He did well to say the Lord would be the final judge in the matter. When right is on our side, we may fearlessly leave results with God. If we have done all we can to make peace, and men will not act fairly, they are the ones who sin.) 28But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.
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1 Isaiah 55:4
2 A reference to Hebrews 12:14a, “Strive for peace with everyone.”
3 Diplomacy is the work of maintaining good relations between the governments of different countries.
Year One, July 13
Be Not Rash With Your Mouth, Nor Let Your Heart Be Hasty To Utter a Word Before God1
Judges 11:29-40
29Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.
Jephthah was a brave man, but he still needed the Lord to prepare him for his work. When the Spirit of the Lord comes on someone, it makes them far more than they were before. The Holy Spirit lifts up, guides, inspires, and strengthens. The one who has the Spirit will find whatever strength they need for the job God gives them to do, even the task that seems impossible. May this same Spirit rest upon us even more than he did on Jephthah.
30And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” (Jephthah was very careless when he made this promise. It was undoubtedly done in the heat of the moment. He was not thinking clearly. If we make a solemn promise to God, we should think long and hard about it. A vow to God is very serious and we should be extremely careful how we express it. It is very unwise for a Christian to obligate themselves with promises that are made rashly and in words that are not well thought through. Jephthah’s case should be a warning to us.)
32So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand. 33And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.
Our hero returned home in great joy, but his triumph quickly crashed into his promise. The vow he had made without thinking had now become a trap for him.
34Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.” (In this case, it would have been far better to break a wrong promise than to keep it. His mistake was that he even made such a promise in the first place. He had not considered the possible terrible consequences. He had sworn that he would use whatever came through the door for a burnt offering. His knowledge of God was limited. Perhaps he thought such a bold promise was needed to satisfy Jehovah. But now he seems to fear the true God like the heathen fear their false gods and is afraid not to keep his foolish promise.)
36And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.” (Now it was his daughter who showed bravery. She was willing to die or remain unmarried, so long as her country was free.) 37So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.”
38So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. 39And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, (Let us hope that Jephthah did not actually sacrifice his daughter. If he did, it was a most horrible action in the sight of God. Her willingness to accept whatever happened to her was beautiful. Let us hope that the vow was somehow fulfilled without her death, and that she lived a long time as an unmarried woman fully committed to the Lord. Many things said in this chapter encourage us to hope this is what happened. At the same time, there is enough doubt about the outcome of this vow to cause us to repeat our warning against every rash promise. Stop, hot spirit! Look at what you are about to do! Think about all the possible consequences before you open your mouth and make a promise to the Lord. Make sure your vow is really for his glory and will not make you do anything that you should not.) and it became a custom in Israel 40that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.
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1 Ecclesiastes 5:2
Year One, July 14
He Will Send Them a Savior and Defender1
Israel sinned again. This time they fell under the control of the Philistines. But God did not forget his people. He raised up another champion to defend them. An angel appeared to Manoah and his wife, telling them they would have a son who would deliver Israel. In due time, his promise was fulfilled by the birth of Samson. We include some of the events of his life beginning with
Judges 14
1Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.”
The history of this strongest of men begins with an act of weakness. His whole life is damaged by the same fault rising up over and over. His unusually developed physical nature made him the easy victim of his passions. If any of us are as athletic as he was, we are probably enticed by the same temptations that captured him. His faith in God was clearly his strong point, but his physical strength carried an unguarded spot in his character, and that turned out to be his downfall.
3But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” (It must always grieve parents who have high spiritual standards to see their children marrying ungodly persons. No good can possibly come of it. It is very damaging to the soul, and usually leads to heart breaking experiences. Surely there are enough good people in the church of God without our looking to the synagogue of Satan for a spouse.) But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” (Too often, this is the only reason people will give or can give for the path they follow. It is the worst reason in the world. What pleases our flesh, usually hurts our spirit. Let us never be slaves to our physical nature. Instead, let us be controlled by clear thinking and spiritual understanding.)
4His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At the time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
They were not aware that God intended to use this incident to force Samson into a quarrel with the tormentors of his country.
5Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. 6Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. (A supernatural power was given to Samson. The strong lion was no match for his unarmed strength. But he did not brag about it. He seems to have understood that his great strength was a gift from God and not for his own glory. This was a warm-up exercise for him. It was a good test of his strength before his great battles with the enemy. Like David, he learned to fight Philistines by first fighting animals.) 7Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.
8After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. (Samson remembered the spot where he killed the lion and stopped to look at it and thank the Lord for delivering him. His memory brought about a reward, because that’s where he found the honey. It is good for us to look back on times when we have been in trouble and God has been merciful to us. It helps us learn how easily the Lord can turn our terrors into pleasures.
“Thus the lion yields us honey;
From the eater food is given.”2)
9He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion. (He did not say anything about what happened. Great doers are very often little talkers. Dr. Kitto very properly remarks:3
“The whole story of the lion is mentioned in the sacred history, not merely as an event, but because of the circumstances that grew out of it. Samson, doubtless, performed many mighty feats which are not recorded; the only ones mentioned are the ones that directly influenced the course of his history and brought him more or less into collision with the Philistines. No one would have thought that out of this slaughter of the lion, and finding a swarm of bees in the carcass—occurring, as it did, while the hero was engaged in forming friendly relations with the Philistines—would result in the act of his destroying energies being used against the oppressors of Israel. But so it came to pass. The most unlikely agents—lions, bees, honeycombs—may become the instruments of accomplishing the purposes of God, and of leading or driving someone to their appointed task, when they are not even thinking about it.”)
10His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. 11As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. (These thirty men, who acted like they were his good friends, were probably spies sent to keep an eye on Samson. The friendship of Philistines should always be mistrusted.) 12And Samson said to them, “Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes, 13but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Put your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14And he said to them,
“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
And in three days they could not solve the riddle.
15On the fourth4 day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us.” (The wedding festivities stirred up bitterness. How can we hope things will go well if we join the unregenerate5 on their level? Samson was acting very wrongly in all this, but God was intentionally using it to make him the opponent of the Philistines, and the champion of the Israelites.)
16And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?”
17She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. 18And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”
And he said to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle.”
Here he began to learn that an unbelieving wife was not to be trusted. How could he expect that someone who worshipped a false god, would be true to him! How sad it was that he did not benefit from this experience.)
19And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. (These garments were the kind only wealthy people would have. Samson must have dealt the Philistines a heavy blow. The loss of thirty men of such high standing and influence would be great.) In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. 20And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
God used Samson as his executioner of Philistines, but he himself was stung sharply for his thoughtless actions that led up to it. His foolish love affair brought him no happiness. He looked for love, but found deceit and desertion. It is very unsafe for anyone to let their weaker passions guide them. Sooner or later sinful joys will sour into miseries. Let us never take the risks that Samson did. Let his shipwrecked life be a warning signal to us.
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1 Isaiah 19:20
2 Author unknown. This poem appears in an article titled The Honeycomb dated 1866 by Rev. Cornelius Elven.
3 Dr. John Kitto (1801-1900) in Daily Bible Illustrations, Volume 2
4 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew seventh. Also seventh in King James Version
5 unregenerate - Unbelievers. Persons who are not born again.
Year One, July 15
He Gives Power To the Faint1
Samson’s marriage led to a complicated argument. He ended up burning wheat fields belonging to the Philistines by tying flaming torches on the tails of foxes and also killing many of his enemies. He then left and camped at the top of a rock called Etam. But God gave him only a little rest, because there were many more Philistines for Samson to conquer.
Judges 15:9-20
9Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. (This was probably the valley below the stronghold Samson used to protect himself. It was later named Lehi, or the place of the jawbone.) 10And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us. (The men of Judah had become almost like slaves. They cringed with fear before their harsh masters. Sin makes people cowards.)
11Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” (What a depressing sight! These cowards act like friends of their persecutors and the enemy of their best friend. Could things be any worse than to talk this way to this great champion?) And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” 12And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” (False brothers are our worst enemies. They will ruin us when our enemies cannot. Beware of hypocrites.) And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” 13They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. (Does this not remind us of our Lord who was bound by those whom he came to save and then turned over to his enemies?)
14When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. (This shout came a little too soon. It was quickly turned into a shriek of horror and then into the silence of death.) Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. 15And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. (The weapon used did not matter much. The power was in the arm. The Lord can use the weakest to overcome the strongest.) 16And Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of a donkey
have I struck down a thousand men.”
Like our greater Champion, who exclaimed, “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me.”2
17As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi. (Which means either the throwing away of the jawbone or the hill of the jawbone.)
18And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the LORD and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” (Samson knew how to pray and to pray in faith too. This was the saving point in his character.) 19And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore (the fountain of him who prayed); it is at Lehi (or the place called Jawbone), to this day. (God helps his servants in big situations, but sometimes he strengthens their faith by bringing smaller tests into their lives. But he will not leave them alone even in their minor difficulties. He quenched Samson’s thirst by bringing a refreshing spring of water right where the jawbone fell from the hero’s hand. God never runs low on power. We have only to trust him, and we shall do great things, and receive great things.) 20And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. (He used his skill and bravery to defeat Israel’s enemies and bring peace to the land. God used Samson to show Israel that he could make one man chase a thousand and two to make ten thousand run away.)
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1 Isaiah 40:29
2 Isaiah 63:3
Year One, July 16
Take Care That You Are Not Carried Away With the Error Of Lawless People1
We do not have space to include Samson’s famous triumph at Gaza, where he pulled up the heavy gates to the city and carried them to the top of a hill. Instead, we must come to the unhappy story in which this great man became a victim of his own foolishness; that is, the event that took away his power to judge and protect his countrymen. Delilah was paid to seduce Samson and persuade him to reveal the secret of his great strength.
Judges 16:6-20
6So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.”
7Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. (After this narrow escape, Samson had no excuse to hang around this double-crossing woman. “For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird.”2 But this man was so infatuated3 with Delilah that he plunged right back into the trap he had just escaped from. Sin is madness.)
10Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” 11And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 12So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
A second time betrayed! A second time delivered! Is this not enough to make him run away from the deceiver’s house? Sadly, no. It would be easier to teach a moth to stay away from the flame than to convince someone who is under the influence of sin to stay away from its sparkle and glitter.
13Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
This time he came dangerously near his secret. The whirlpool in which he was surging was sucking him down. Poor Samson! Who could save you when you were determined to destroy yourself?
15And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” (Samson’s dedication to the instructions the angel of the Lord gave his parents was his real strength. His uncut hair was the symbol of that dedication. When he gave up his secret, the Lord left him and he received the just reward of his sinful pleasures. He sinned deliberately, and therefore God allowed him to suffer the harm that naturally comes with it.)
18When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. (Bad men and women are always ready sell out the very persons they loudly claim to love. They are never to be trusted.) 19She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. (We cannot hope to succeed if God is not with us. We may have been brave and powerful in the past, but if the Lord leaves us we will fail and the devil will have the victory. What a warning this unhappy story presents to us. May the infinite mercy of God allow us to truly learn from it.)
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1 2 Peter 3:17
2 Proverbs 1:17
3 infatuated - Head over heels in love with, lovesick for, attracted to, smitten with, crazy about, enchanted by.
Year One, July 17
But I Will Not Remove From Him My Steadfast Love1
Judges 16:21-31
21And the Philistines seized [Sampson] and gouged out his eyes (according to the eighth century Bible translation into the Arabic language, they used fire to blind Samson), and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. (The strongest they could find, and the most painful to the wearer). And he ground at the mill in the prison. (The great champion became a slave and was forced to do a job even slaves thought was beneath them. Milton2 describes the fallen hero as saying:
“Made of my enemies the scorn and gaze;
To grind in brazen fetters under task
With this Heaven-gifted strength. O glorious strength,
Put to the labor of a beast, debased
Lower than bond slave! Promise was that I
Should Israel from Philistine yoke deliver;
Ask for this great deliverer now, and find him
Eyeless in Gaza at the mill with slaves.”)
22But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. (Our gracious God does not throw away his servants. His grace is like the receding tide of the ocean. Just like Samson’s hair, it returns as strong as ever. It is one of the wonders of God that he will not stop loving someone even when that person proves they do not deserve to be loved.)
23Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” (They blasphemed Jehovah by magnifying Baal. They do, however, teach us a lesson we often forget. That is, to give all the credit for our victories to God.)
25And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” (The poor blind prisoner was now just someone for the lords of the Philistines to laugh at and mock. Eventually, they let him rest a bit, while they refilled their cups and thought about fresh insults to throw at him.) 27Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.
28Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” (How touching is that sweetest of prayers, “Remember me.” Whether it be Samson or the dying thief who uses it, the Lord did remember him.) 29And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.
Milton will again comment for us:
“Those two massive pillars
With horrible convulsion to and fro
He tugged, he shook, till down they came and drew
The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder,
Upon the heads of all who sat beneath,
Lords, ladies, captains, counselors, or priests,
Their choice nobility and flower, not only
Of this but each Philistine city round.
O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious!
Living or dying you have fulfilled
The work for which you were foretold
To Israel, and now you lie victorious
Among the slain, self-killed
Not willingly, but tangled in the fold
Of dire necessity, whose law in death now joined
You with your slaughtered foes.”
So the Lord God of Israel silenced the boastings of his enemies, as he will do in the last great day.
31Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
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1 Psalm 89:33
2 John Milton (1608 - 1674). Probably best know for his poem Paradise Lost.
Year One, July 18
Flee Youthful Passions1
The sad case of Samson reminds us of the warnings in the book of Proverbs against that treacherous form of sin. Evil company is always dangerous, but keeping company with people whose lives are impure is deadly. May the young men of the household take today’s lesson to heart. It has been hard to write, but a sense of duty has forced it on us.
Proverbs 7:1-18; 21-27
1 My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
Treasure up this warning as a precious thing. It may keep you from becoming miserable and heartbroken in your old age.
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Keep the commandments of the Bible at your finger tips and in the center of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
As good women are our greatest blessings, so bad women are among the worst curses in the world. Flee immoral women. Do not listen to their words. To show us how wicked they are, Solomon tells us a true story. Let us read it with the sincere prayer that none of us will ever act like this foolish young man.
6 For at the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
The young man does not have grace in his heart or common sense in his head.
8 passing along the street near her corner
taking the road to her house
He would have been much better off taking a long detour rather than going past her house.
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
Being out late leads to no good.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
11 She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
If she was someone who was okay to be with, she would have been at home at this hour of the night.
13 She seizes him and kisses him
and with bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
O the wickedness of those who combine religion with their filthiness. It was only part of the bait she used to trap the foolish young man.
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
This was another lie. She only pretended he was special to her. Beware of these deceivers.
16 I have spread my couch with coverings,
colored linens from Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
What a servant of Satan was she! There are many like her, who trap fools in their nets.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
The ox has no idea of what is coming, or he would never enter the slaughterhouse. Wicked young men do not realize their sin is leading them to a terrible slaughterhouse.
or as a stag is caught fast
A deer, thinking it has found a meal, goes to the bait only to be caught in the trap the hunter has set. A foolish man, thinking he has found pleasure, goes to this wicked woman only to be ensnared in the trap she has prepared. What he thinks is rare fun, soon turns to disaster.
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
The deer soon feels the pain of the hunter’s arrow. The foolish man’s pleasures will soon be followed by the suffering his folly brings.
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
The life of both his body and his soul will be ruined by his wicked acts.
24 And now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are a mighty throng,
Samson and Solomon paid dearly because they did not steer clear from these types of women.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
Strong language, but not too strong. If young people knew what would finally happen as a result of their unclean actions, they would rather burn their flesh with fire, or sleep with venomous snakes, than have any close friendship with sexually impure persons. Young women, should detest those vulgar fellows whose actions should not even be talked about. Everyone, whether they are young or old, male or female, should be disgusted by any lewd thoughts, words, or actions in what they read, watch, or take part in.
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1 2 Timothy 2:22
Year One, July 19
Flee From Idolatry1
Judges 17
1There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD.” (Her blessing was not worth much. She was just as ready to curse as bless. Her silver was her god while it was in the form of coins and remained so when it was changed into a metal image. The fact that she cursed when she lost it proves that. We will read that Micah had some appearance of religion, but what was that worth when he was a thief to begin with? Some unknown fear caused him to return the money even though his conscience had not stopped him from stealing it in the first place. His personality was the type that can easily be attracted to the religious practices we find him involved in.)
3And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”
They had an image made even though it was against God’s law. To make matters worse, they dedicated the image to Jehovah. Good intentions are no excuse for disobedience. Today, churches that have images tell us they do not worship the images, but worship the god they represent. If we accept this excuse, then idolatry no longer exists in the world. God does not accept that kind of thinking.
4So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah. 5And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.
Children imitate their parents. The mother makes one image, the son has a house full of gods, and the grandson becomes a priest. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”2 Once we leave the spiritual worship of God, there is no telling how far we will stray.
6In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Which meant that everyone did whatever evil they liked.)
7Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. 8And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah. 9And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place.” 10And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes, and your living.” And the Levite went in. (It was poor pay. 200 shekels had been spent on the carved image and ten is thought to be enough for the priest. They preferred an expensive idol, even though the priest is kept in poverty. His pay was even worse when we consider that the priest was selling his soul for such a tiny amount. How shameful for a Levite, the servant of the living God, to be serving lifeless idols.)
11And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.” (This is the way superstitious people talk. They have a real priest with the proper background, therefore they think blessings are virtually guaranteed. The images were forbidden. The ephods were forbidden. Their whole worship was in direct violation to the Lord’s true worship at Jerusalem. But that did not matter to this family! Their priest was a Levite and that was all they cared about. They assumed they would be blessed in spite of all the rules they had broken. Not much has changed in our times. Today people set up crosses, hang pictures and build altars and expect special favors from God even though all their misguided worship is really imaginary and an insult to the Lord Jesus. Outward ceremonies and performances that are not commanded in Scripture should not be part of our worship. If we attend these kinds of services, we will eventually be caught up in the sin of them.)
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1 1 Corinthians 10:14
2 John 4:24
Year One, July 20
The LORD, He Is God!1
Judges 18:1-6; 14-20; 22-26
1In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. 2So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go and explore the land.” And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. 3When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. And they turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” (“What are you doing in this place?” is the kind of question people who are concerned with the cares of this world would ask. And in this case it was actually a good one to ask this priest who had accepted such a shameful job.)
4And he said to them, “This is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.” 5And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.”
They were not concerned whether he was a true servant of God or not. Like many people today, they thought one religion was as good as another. They saw the metal idol, the ephod, and a priest, and that was good enough for them. One would think that if they cared about religion at all, they would have been anxious to have the right one. But no, the very people who are careful about what they eat, what they wear, and what medicine they take, will welcome anyone else’s religious beliefs without examining them first.
6And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD.”
False priests always seem to have lots of nice things to say.
The spies finished their job and returned to the tribe of Dan with their report. Then the men of war marched toward the city of Laish. On their way they stopped near or at Micah’s house for the night, like the five spies had done earlier. But instead of being grateful for Micah’s hospitality, they returned his kindness by robbing him!
14Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do.” (This was a hint that perhaps the gods would be worth stealing.) 15And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare. 16Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17And the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.
They kept the priest in conversation while they stole the pathetic gods that could not protect themselves. It is almost funny. What a crazy thing to do. They steal what they had already worshiped and then they worship what they had stolen.
18And when these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” (They knew the most powerful arguments to keep him quiet. They asked him if he would make more money being the priest of an entire community or just one man. The person who has already sold themselves is easily bought.)
20And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household god and the carved image and went along with the people. (Bishop Hall says, “He that was won with ten shekels, may be lost with eleven. The Levite had too many gods to bother his conscience over which one to worship. There is nothing more inconsistent than a Levite who seeks nothing but himself.”2)
22When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan. 23And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?” 24And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” (What a pile of superstition and absurdity! You have stolen my gods that are all I have. They are my own gods. I made them myself. The are very precious and dear to my heart. Nothing can cheer me up if I lose them. He was foolish enough to trust in gods that could not take care of themselves and just as foolish to grieve for their loss. If we lose the smile of the true and living God, then we would have a reason to say, “What have I left?” To lose the presence of God is to lose everything.)
25And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.” (They who have power on their side are rarely at a loss for words. They have very little reason to conceal the lion’s claw beneath the lion’s pad.) 26Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.
If Micah became a wise man from this incident, he was a great winner by his loss. If those who rely on rituals and ceremonies had their altars and images broken in pieces and their cathedrals torn down, it would be a cheap cure of their foolishness. Oh that the Lord would take his great broom and sweep out the priests and their idols. Let us also pray that he will clean the temples of our hearts.
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1 Psalm 100:3
2 Bishop Joseph Hall (1574-1656).
Year One, July 21
Our God Is In the Heavens1
The sad and foolish history of idol worship given in our last two readings makes us want to turn to another subject. Let us adore and worship the only true and living God, who has revealed himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the God of promise, who alone should have our worship. Let us read the holy song of the Jewish church in
Psalm 115
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
When we find ourselves in trouble, the answer to our problem is not in us. We must be humble and realize the best solution is to pray to our merciful and faithful God.
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
The enemies of God complain about him and blame him for their troubles. The saints of God mention these blasphemies in their prayers and ask the Lord to shut the mouths of these bitter people.
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
No matter how much the ungodly may rage, God sits on the throne. They cannot overthrow him from his position of control over them. The most violent efforts to defeat God will not stop him from accomplishing everything he intends to do. Every plan of the Lord will be completed, right down to the smallest detail. This is sweet comfort for his saints.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
The very best idols are really just lumps of metal. What contempt the psalmist pours on these sacred images! They deserve to be made fun of. The next sentences are harsh, but deserved. Idols are not to be respected but despised.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
These idols are designed to represent various features of physical ability, but they are just so many lies. An eye that cannot see, cannot acquire insight. A mouth that cannot speak, cannot convince anyone. Hands that cannot move, cannot accomplish anything.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
They are as disgusting and ridiculous as the images they adore.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
Trusting in God is the duty and privilege of all saints, at all times, in all places.
12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us;
Past blessings guarantee the future, because our God does not change.
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD,
both the small and the great.
These are precious promises for those who are very young, for those who live in poverty, for those who have little ability, and for those who are rejected by the world. They are not and will not be forgotten when God blesses his chosen.
14 May the LORD give you increase,
you and your children!
Believers will become more numerous. The chosen race shall increase.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth!
And this is true, whatever people may say, or whatever the Lord may bring. You who are righteous before God, rejoice!
16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,
nor do any who go down into silence.
So far as this world is concerned, death ends human praise. Therefore, let us make up our mind to bless the Lord as long as we live, according to the commitment made in the next verse.
18 But we will bless the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!
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1 Psalm 115:3
Year One, July 22
Can Man Make For Himself Gods?1
One of the most revealing satires2 about the worship of idols is found in the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 44:9-20
9All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, (If these people had any sense they would understand how useless their idols are. They will not allow themselves to be corrected. If they did, they would be admitting they had been deceived.) that they may be put to shame. 10Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? (These mighty good-for-nothing gods, when do they actually become gods? When do they become worthy of adoration?) 11Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. (The stupid idol and its senseless worshipers will all be laughed to scorn. Let both makers and worshipers, and everyone who has anything to do with idol worship, come forward and answer a few questions which will expose the shame of their false worship.) Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. (The prophet begins with the last person who worked on the idol. He takes us to the blacksmith’s shop where the wooden idol is coated with precious metal. But this maker of gods has human weaknesses. He is thirsty and faints because he has no water. What a mighty god-maker is he! The god does not come to life in the blacksmith’s shop.) 13The carpenter sketches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. (Isaiah goes back a little further in the process, to the place where the design of the idol takes place. He shows us the carpenter working with his tools. He marks the block of wood with his pencil and carves it with his plane and chisel, but no sign of a god is visible here either.)
14He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.
Perhaps there was something holy about the tree the wood came from. No. Isaiah takes us back another step before the wood came to the carpenter’s shop. It was just a common tree that was planted in the forest. The rain watered it and it grew the same as the others.
15Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.
The tree is chopped down and behold, it serves a double purpose. Part of the wood is used for the fire to bake bread and part is used to make a god.
16Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
One part of the tree cooks meals and blazes on the hearth to keep people warm and happy. The rest they talk to in a pleading voice, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” What drunken-like stupidity!
18They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. (The minds of idolaters are blinded and they deserve to be. If people were reasonable, and not lovers of sin, they would put an end to such foolish behavior.) 19No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (People have fallen so low through sin that their thinking is illogical. They cook their food with the same wood they make their idol from and the wind blows away the ashes. All that remains is the idol they hold in their right hand and they are so blind they cannot see how obvious their foolishness is.)
Oh Lord, have pity on human madness and save people from themselves. Amen.
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1 Jeremiah 16:20
2 satire; a parody, spoof, mockery, caricature. A method to show scorn, derision and ridicule.
Year One, July 23
You Shall Be Clean From All Your Uncleannesses and From All Your Idols1
We find the whole history of the book of Judges briefly retold in
Psalm 106:34-48
34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as the LORD commanded them,
This was the Jews main sin. All of their other faults were a result of not obeying this command. They were brought to Canaan to destroy the criminal nations that lived there. Israel was either too afraid or too rebellious to finish the job. As a result, more sin and sorrow followed their first sin. No one can fully understand how much evil may follow one act of disobedience. If we allow just one sin to be out of control, it will become a terrible plague in our life. Oh for grace to make careful work of removing such sin. Only the Holy Spirit can help us in doing this.
35 but they mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
Close friendship leads to imitation. We cannot live with the wicked without being influenced by them. The blazing wood that does not burn us may still blacken us.
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
Sometimes heathen worship was pleasing and attractive. Often it was immoral and tempting to the flesh. God’s own people were trapped by their natural urges and desires.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
These sacrifices were the high point in idolatrous worship. They were also the most horrible of crimes. What a miserable fact, that a people who had known the Lord should fall so low as to murder their innocent babies at the altars of demons! Human nature is capable of the worst crimes imaginable! Can even devils perform worse wickedness than this?
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,
and played the whore in their deeds.
40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
The Lord looked on their disgusting acts and was disgusted with them. He decided he would make them understand that he would not put up with his own people doing these things. Sin was worse in God’s people than in others, because they knew better. They had made a most holy promise to act better than this.
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.
See how patient God was. He delivered them many times, even though they kept returning to their wickedness. Have we experienced the same great mercy?
44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
How beautiful and wonderful these words are! They describe the tender heart of God! Oh God, who can pardon like you do? Who besides you would keep his promise to this kind of people? What huge amounts of mercies were used to cover such huge amounts of sins? To read Israel’s story is like looking into a mirror. It is enough to bring tears to our eyes. Our shame is mixed with our thankfulness as we think how wonderful God has been to us too.
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive.
The Lord who brought water out of rock, made even their tormentors feel sorry for them and before long he brought about the means to deliver them.
47 Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
Later generations learned from this history. We should do the same. Let us join in the words of praise that bring this psalm to its conclusion.
48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD!
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1 Ezekiel 36:25
Year One, July 24
Will You Not Revive Us Again?1
Israel slid back into the sin of idolatry repeatedly. And each time they did they experienced more pain and suffering. We can imagine the feelings of the nation’s godly during these times. Their prayer may have been much like the psalmist Asaph in
Psalm 80
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Lord, in ancient times you were Israel’s leader. Even now, you live above the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle of Shiloh. Therefore, find it in your heart to show your power for the benefit of your people.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up your might
and come to save us!
The prayer mentions the names of the tribes of Israel; just as the High Priest had them written on the ephod when he came into the presence of the Lord. May God save and bless every part of his one church and not just our own tribe.
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Everything will turn out properly if we are first saved. A change of character is better than a change of circumstances. Change us, O Lord, and then change our situation.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
Sorrow was both their food and drink. Would the Lord never bring an end of their miseries? This is mighty pleading.
6 You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
When the wicked are happy because we are miserable and laugh because we seem confused, then the Lord will hear and rescue us.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
This is a repetition, but not a useless one, because it was the most important blessing asked for.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to the sea
and its shoots to the River.
Asaph’s poetry is filled with emotion as he describes Israel being brought into Canaan. God’s goodness to us in the past makes our present sorrows very bitter, when we know the change in our circumstances is caused by our sin.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
Israel’s living conditions were very bad. They could no longer defend their borders. Ferocious enemies were destroying the land. Their distress had reached the breaking point. Only those who know what it is to see invaders in their country and homes can even imagine the conditions Israel endured.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
What was needed was a visit from God. What was needed was power given to the judges God had raised up to deliver Israel. Barak, and Gideon, and Jephthah were nothing without God, but if the Lord appeared they would become branches of the vine that produce fruit and display God’s power.
All that was needed was a visit from God and his anointing on the judge he appointed to deliver Israel.
16 They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your face!
17 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
Israel’s great need was a bold and brave leader. One appointed by the Lord to save them. Jesus is our great Leader and he has the power of Jehovah within him. In a small way, the judges were given power from God to save their people. People sin alone, but they must have help to escape from the trouble their sin brings. We are helpless to save ourselves. We must have power from heaven. Only Jesus can save us.
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call upon your name!
If God would rescue them, they thought they would be so thankful that they would never sin against the Lord again.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Even though their situation was extremely bad, they were confident that the Lord would change them and their circumstances. They believed he would show his grace by bringing about events that would save them. Let us keep this closing prayer on our heart and lips for many days to come.
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1 Psalm 85:6
Year One, July 25
Who Shall Separate Us From the Love Of Christ?1
We have reached the shortest of the historical books, which contains the sweet story of Ruth. Her story is told in the Bible because she was one of the ancestors of our Lord Jesus. He came to save Gentiles as well as Jews and he was pleased to include a foreigner from a heathen land in the family tree of his ancestors.
Ruth 1:1-11; 13b-18
1In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. (They had escaped the famine, but other troubles visited them. No matter where we live, trials will be a part of our lives.)
4These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. (Alas, poor soul! The arrows of death wounded her terribly! Yet the Lord did not leave her alone in her widowhood. He prepared the loving heart of a young woman to comfort her.)
6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. (This was welcome news, and was easy to believe, because empty gossip would not have given the Lord credit for ending the famine. Or, perhaps this was just what Naomi wanted to believe. We should try to believe the best whenever possible. And, we should always give credit for good gifts to the giver. Our food, whether it is physical or spiritual, comes from the Lord.) 7So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?”
She reminded them that she had no more sons to become their husbands and urged them to go back to their own nation. Then she added,
13b“For it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” (The mature widow acted wisely in testing the young women. Many say they will join the Lord’s people who have not thought about the trials of true religion. They should count the cost.) 14Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. (These two women were opposites. We have known both types. One, like Orpah, is delighted with religion and happy to follow the Lord Jesus until some difficulty or trial comes. Then she gives it all up. The other, like Ruth, is really converted and holds onto Jesus through fair and stormy conditions. She continues to the end.)
15And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
Ruth joined herself to the Lord’s people and never lived to regret it. Those who choose to walk with Jesus may have it rough for a while, but better times are ahead.
18And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. (She was only too glad to have Ruth for a lifetime companion. The people of God are glad to welcome sincere souls into their fellowship.)
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1 Romans 8:35
Year One, July 26
May the God Of Peace Be With You All1
Ruth 1:19-22
19So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” (She had been gone ten years, but her good character was still held in high respect with the people. Therefore they were glad to see her return, though they were surprised by her poverty. Her many bereavements may have changed her looks, because even her former acquaintances asked, “Is this Naomi?” We may experience similar changes in our lives. May faith and patience prepare us for them.)
20She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi (pleasant or sweet); call me Mara (or bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. (God can soon change our sweets into bitters, therefore let us be humble. But he can just as easily transform our bitters into sweets. Therefore let us be hopeful. It is very usual for Naomi and Mara, sweet and bitter, to meet in the same person. He who was called Benjamin, or “the son of his father’s right hand,” was first called Benoni, or “the son of sorrow.” The comforts of God’s grace are all the sweeter when they follow the troubles of life.) 21I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. (When she had her husband, and sons, and property, she was full, and went her way to a foreign land, perhaps wrongly. But now that she was deprived of everything, she felt that God was with her in her emptiness, and that he had brought her back.) Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
It is wise to know and appreciate that everything that happens to us is part of God's will for us. Naomi submitted to her Master even though she suffered from what seemed like harsh treatment. This is the proper kind of attitude for a believer to have who has been disciplined by God. Our Lord is the great example of it, for he said, “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Ruth 2:1-7
1Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
If it was good for Naomi to have a wealthy relative, then how blessed it is for poor sinners to have a rich relative in the person of the Lord Jesus.
2And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
These good women were not ashamed of honest and humble work. They did not take to begging, or doing nothing. They desired to support themselves through honest labor. Ruth had been a wealthy woman, but she was not above working to support her mother-in-law and herself.
3So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.
To Ruth, it seemed she chose this field by chance, but the hand of the Lord was in it. It was he who directed her to the very best place that would move her toward her future prosperity.
4And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. and he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” (What a blessing when employer and employees work together in such a holy way. It is a shame that this kind of godly fellowship is so rare!) 5Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
Boaz was a good master to his servants, and he was also kind to the poor. Those who excel in one direction are generally excellent in others. Ruth must have been happy to glean under the care of a man like Boaz. She had given up everything for God and the Lord took care of her. She was busy doing the right thing and God’s love was watching over her.
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1 Romans 15:33
Year One, July 27
The LORD Repay You for What You Have Done1
Ruth 2:8-23
Boaz asked his servant about the new gleaner in his field. Then he approached Ruth and spoke very kindly to her.
8Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
14And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
17So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah (or about five gallons) of barley.
The main reason Boaz was so kind to Ruth was that she was a guest in Israel, a dove nestling beneath Jehovah’s wings. His religion was most important to him, and therefore he rejoiced that this woman had left everything to follow the living God. Meanwhile Ruth acted in the most modest and humble way. She was simply being herself. She was glad to work all day in the field to help support Naomi and herself. She considered it a pleasure to work for the benefit of someone who loved her so much. When children are kind to their parents, they are on the road to blessings. Little did Ruth imagine that she would one day be married to the owner of the fields in which she gleaned. There are good things in store for those who live correctly before God.
18And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21And Ruth, the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Matthew Henry gives us the following lessons from this passage:
“Ruth finished her day’s work, (verse 17). She took care not to lose time, for she gleaned until evening. We must not grow weary of doing good, because in due season we shall reap. She did not make an excuse to sit still or go home before the evening. Let us ‘work the works of him who sent us while it is day.’ She barely used, much less did she abuse the kindness of Boaz, for though he ordered his servants to leave handfuls for her, she continued to glean the scattered ears. She took care not to lose what she had gathered, but threshed it herself, that she might the easier carry it home, and might have it ready for use. ‘Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,’ and so loses the benefit of it; ‘but the diligent man will get precious wealth.’ Ruth had gathered it ear by ear; but when she had put it all together, it was an ephah of barley, or about four pecks. Many a little makes a great deal. It is encouraging to industry, that ‘in all toil,’ even that of gleaning, ‘there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.’ When she had got her barley into as little space as she could, she took it up herself, and carried it into the city, though had she asked them, it is likely some of Boaz’s servants would have done that for her. We should study to be as little trouble as possible to those who are kind to us. She did not think it either too hard or too lowly a service, to carry her barley herself into the city; but was pleased with what she had got by her own industry, and was careful to secure it. And let us thus take care that we ‘may not lose what we have worked for,’ or which we have gained.”
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1 From Ruth 2:12
Year One, July 28
Fear Not, For I Have Redeemed You1
Jewish law allowed for a close relative of Ruth’s deceased husband to buy his estate and marry his widow. Naomi advised Ruth to take advantage of this law because it would make Boaz her redeemer and place Ruth under his protection. Boaz’s immediate response was to propose to Ruth. However, the law gave an even closer relative the opportunity to buy the property of Mahlon instead of Boaz. Only if he refused could Boaz buy it and marry Ruth. Boaz wasted no time in tactfully approaching this closer relative. He arranged to do this at a public gathering so that everything was done properly and in the open.
Ruth 4:1-17
1Now Boaz had gone up to the gate (where these types of transactions usually took place), and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. (Boaz did this to make sure everything was done according to the law.)
3Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ but if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it. (He was ready to buy the land, but he did not know yet that marrying Ruth was part of the agreement.)
5Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” (You cannot have the land unless you marry the wife of the deceased, and then any children which you may have will be regarded as the children of Mahlon, your deceased relative.) 6Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” (This was exactly what Boaz wanted him to say.)
7Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. (This law is found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. It was given so that no family in Israel would die out. May God grant that this household will always have the Lord’s people in it.) 8So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. 9Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” 11Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, 12and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
13So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife…and she bore a son. (Here we see her self-denying faith rewarded. She left behind her relatives, her country, and her hope for the future, to be with Naomi and the Lord’s people. And the Lord not only blessed her, but blessed generations far into the future through her. Those who follow the Lord no matter what, will not be losers in the long run. To increase Ruth’s joy and crown her happiness, the Lord gave her a son who was also a joy to Naomi.)
14Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Here we find the reason the book of Ruth is included in the Bible. Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David, whose family line leads all the way to the birth of the Lord Jesus. All the Scriptures are intended to lead us in faith to the great Redeemer. May God grant that this purpose is or will be true in our case.)
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1 Isaiah 43:1
Year One, July 29
Your Promise Gives Me Life1
Before beginning the book of Samuel we will take another portion from David’s Holy Alphabet--the hundred and nineteenth Psalm. Martin Luther prized this psalm so much that he declared he would not take the whole world in exchange for a single page of it. May the Holy Spirit impact our hearts while we read it.
Psalm 119:49-64
49 Remember your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
The Christian’s assurance of eternal life comes from the Lord himself through his perfect word. It is a certain hope, because the Lord will remember his promises. Believers will never be embarrassed, because God will fulfill his promises. But he keeps his promises in answer to our prayers. Therefore our praying must include the promises of God.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
that your promise gives me life.
Good people will have times of suffering. Their best comfort at these times is the shining grace of God. Instead of praying, “Lord, remove the trouble,” we should cry, “Lord, give the grace promised in your word.”
51 The insolent utterly deride me,
but I do not turn away from your law.
He refused to be laughed out of his religion. Peoples scorn is hardly felt when the Lord Jesus smiles on us. If we reject holiness because bad people laugh, we will make good people weep.
52 When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O LORD.
53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
who forsake your law.
A holy heart is horrified at sin, at sinners, and at the sinner’s doom. Those who think lightly of other people’s sins will soon think lightly of their own sin.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my sojourning.
The Bible is the believer’s songbook. The songs and hymns found in it are sweet to their ear. Let us all sing more and complain less.
55 I remember your name in the night, O LORD,
and keep your law.
Singing is for the day, and remembering is for the sleepless hours of the night. This is the way godly people make all twenty-four hours of the day holy to the Lord.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts.
Godly songs and holy memories are the result of obedience. And many other comforts come to us as rewards when we stay on the right road.
57 The LORD is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
The Lord gives himself to us. It is only right that we should be determined to give ourselves to him.
58 I entreat your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think on my ways,
I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
Have we done the same? Is there anything we have neglected? When it comes to obeying God quickly, we cannot be too quick.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you,
because of your righteous rules.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
Those who love good company have some good things in their own hearts. The friends we choose ought to be those with whom we are willing to live with forever and ever. An elderly woman once said, “I cannot believe that the Lord will shut me up with the ungodly, for I have never loved such company. His people have been my friends on earth and I expect to dwell with them forever in heaven.”
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes!
We are full of wants, and sins, and sorrow. That is why it is such a tremendous comfort to learn that the Lord has filled the whole earth with his mercy. Let us ask for mercy in the most sensible way. Ask the Lord to teach us how to live in his fear. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”2
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1 Psalm 119:50
2 Psalm 111:10
Year One, July 30
Your Testimonies Are My Delight1
We will take another drink from the overflowing well of David’s ever fresh and sparkling Psalm. May the Holy Spirit make it really refreshing to us.
Psalm 119:65-80
65 You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
This is most joyfully true. Blessed be the name of God, our Father. Some of us can say, “Amen, Amen.” Every promise has been fulfilled in its proper time. We have served a good Master and loved a faithful God. Sadly, we have not lived for him as well as we should have.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
One of the Reformers,2 in a public debate, was seen writing on a piece of paper in front of him. His friend wished to see the notes that had helped him so much, and was surprised to find that they consisted simply of these brief prayers, “More light, Lord; more light, more light.” This is just what David asked for. Let us pray for the same.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
The use of affliction is sweet. It keeps us safe, like sheep kept in pens so that they cannot wander away as before.
68 You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
Goodness tends to rub off on others. Therefore the psalmist asks the Lord to show him how to be good.
69 The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
He would answer their slander in the most effective manner, by living in such a way that their lies would be obvious to everyone.
70 their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
They suffered spiritually from fatty failing hearts. Their lives were monotonous, gluttonous, and lifeless. David used them as a warning to himself, to delight in the law of the Lord all the more.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
You have made me Lord, be pleased to make me again. I am your work, complete me. I am your harp, tune me. I am your child, teach me.
74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
because I have hoped in your word.
The grace experienced by one believer cheers others. In fact, a good man is always a “son of encouragement”3 to his fellow Christians. The delight experienced by someone who enjoys spending lots of time in God’s word is contagious and gives delight to those around him.
75 I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
We may be quite sure of this, but we often forget it when we are on the gloomy side of the hill.
76 Let your steadfast love comfort me
according to your promise to your servant.
The phrase, “according to your promise,” shows us that we should use the very words of God when we pray. We should keep his promises at our finger tips, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we should ask the Lord to be as good as his own promises. Rest assured he will never deny himself. God is not “a son of man, that he should change his mind.”4
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
for your law is my delight.
78 Let the insolent be put to shame,
because they have wronged me with falsehood;
as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
The psalmist was persecuted and his immediate response was to run to God’s Word. When those on earth do you wrong, never begin to argue, or grow angry, but run to your Father in heaven.
79 Let those who fear you turn to me,
that they may know your testimonies.
Lord, make your children willing to help me and to be helped by me. Let me be a magnet to gather good company, not a broom to sweep them away. May I show love and encourage unity; yet not at the expense of truth. Let my prayer be,
80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
that I may not be put to shame!
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1 Psalm 119:24
2 Protestant Reformation: A 16th century movement to reform the Roman Catholic Church.
3 Acts 4:36
4 Numbers 23:19
Year One, July 31
O People; Pour Out Your Heart Before Him1
1 Samuel 1:1-3; 9-18
1There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
It is a sad thing to find a Levite stained with the error of double marriage. In Elkanah’s case, as in every other, it caused much misery in the family, especially to that wife who was the best and holiest. Poor Hannah. She was a woman of great gifts as well as great grace, even though denied the blessing of children. Yet she was so tormented by Peninnah, that her life was made bitter. How great a mercy it is that Christianity forbids polygamy; which the old dispensation barely tolerated, and did so only because of the hardness of men’s hearts.
3Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.
9After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
Hannah’s husband loved her, but she needed more comfort than he could give her. She sought it in diligent prayer. This is the sure source of comfort.
11And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
Bishop Hall2 well remarks that, “The way to obtain any benefit is to devote it, in our hearts, and to the glory of that God of whom we ask it. In this way God will both please his servant and honor himself. However, if the hope of our desires is simply to satisfy ourselves, then we may be sure that either our request will be denied or no blessing will come of it.”
12As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. (With all his faults, Eli did not neglect his duty, but sat at his post and watched the worshipers. The very presence of the priest helped to keep order in God’s house.) 13Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. (Good men may make mistakes. Eli was too permissive where he should have been stern, and too critical where he should have been charitable. We should not allow ourselves to be overly influenced by what others think of us.)
14And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put away your wine from you.” 15But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. 16Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”
How gently she replied! Some would have flown into a passion. Meekness is a lovely part of godliness.
17Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
Eli was not above confessing his error and quickly correcting himself. Let us never be ashamed to acknowledge when we are wrong, nor slow to correct everything in our power.
18And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. (Hannah’s faith in the word of God that was spoken by his servant was so strong that she immediately began to rejoice in the blessing promised to her. We should have the same confidence in the divine promises. Rather than being sad, we should look for the blessing, and welcome it with a smile on our face.)
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1 Psalm 62:8
2 Church of England Bishop Joseph Hall (1574-1656).
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