The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 23:35,39 ,
"He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the
Chosen One." "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
These are among the insults hurled at Jesus as he hung on the cross.
The first I quoted was by the on-lookers and the rulers of the Jews.
The second by one of the criminals that was crucified along with
Jesus.
These insults betrayed a misunderstanding of what Jesus Christ came to
do. As Jesus told his followers after his resurrection, "This is what
is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third
day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:46-47. Prior to
this, also following his resurrection, Jesus approached a disciple
named Cleopas and a companion heading for Emmaus. The two were
discussing Jesus' crucifixion and "their faces were downcast". Jesus
told them, "'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these
things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the
Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures
concerning himself."
These accounts manifest the great misunderstanding of what "the Christ
of God" was sent to do. Jesus Christ did not come as a great ethical
teacher to rehabilitate the misbehaving. Some today are still confused
about this. "The Christ of God" did not come to provide national
superiority for Israel or any other nation. Some today are still
confused about this. "The Christ of God" did not come to end "social
disparities", "injustice", the plight of the poor or the sick or the
infirm. Some today are still confused about this. "The Christ of God"
did not come to authenticate my theology or your denomination. Some
today are still confused about this. "The Christ of God" did not come
to bring peace and tranquility among the nations or remove crime from
our streets. Some today are still confused about this.
I have to think, given the misunderstanding, the misinterpretation,
the confusion, the ignorance, the arguments, the assumptions about
Jesus Christ that continue to persist today, it must be that people
look about themselves, and as they observe what they see as wrong with
our lost and fallen world living an estranged existence from God, they
seek to conform the purpose for which Jesus Christ came to whatever it
is they wish would change.
Jesus Christ, as God's one and only Son, came to planet earth with his
own agenda, his own objective and he achieved exactly what he came to
do. What he came to do was to take the sins of all mankind for all
time upon himself and pay the penalty for all of that sin by taking
our punishment on himself as he died on that cross. As noted in Luke
24:46-47, Jesus came to suffer and then rise from the dead on the
third day so that the gospel could go out to all nations. As the
apostle John observes, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and
not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John
2:2. In a couple of chapters later John tells us, "This is love: not
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10.
As the Christ, Jesus is many things. But what he came to do was to
offer himself upon a cross to satisfy his Father's justice for my sin
and your sin, making a way for us to enter into his family. All he
asks of us is to trust in him. Believe in him. May we all reflect that
in our lives today.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Is that the Lord's hand in my life? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 7:22,
"When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men
throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords."
In a stunning account we read how Gideon, with a force of only 300
men, routed the vast army of the Midianites. And, did so with the aid
of trumpets and jars - not the typical weapons of warfare. Gideon
certainly had plenty of opportunity to recognize just who it was that
provided the victory. Indeed, the Lord had pared Gideon's original
fighting force of thirty-two thousand down to three hundred for the
specific purpose of insuring the Israelites not make the mistake that
the victory was of their own doing. "The Lord said to Gideon, 'You
have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order
that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved
her...'", and then the Lord tells Gideon to send most of the fighting
men home. See Judges 7:2-8. So, to be sure, it wasn't Gideon with 300
fighting men that routed the Midianites, but the Lord using Gideon and
the 300 men with trumpets and jars.
While Gideon had ample revelation to know what the Lord was doing
during this event, not all of the Lord's acts are as obvious to the
observer when things take place.This brings to mind a reoccurring
thought that comes to me. When events take place in my life, in the
lives of those around me, in our nation and so forth, am I recognizing
just who is responsible when something happens? In other words, am I
recognizing the wonderful and/or fearful works of the Lord on my
behalf, on behalf of others, when such acknowledgement is due? And, on
the flip side, do I recognize the events that are not the cause of the
Lord, but that possibly he gets the blame for? "Acts of God" is a
disclaimer often found in insurance policies and other places. Are
they always really specific acts of God? Or, as when people, who have
endured very difficult events in their lives, such as the loss of a
child and so forth, can become embittered toward the Lord for "taking"
the life of a loved one. Is it always the Lord that causes these kinds
of circumstances when they take place?
In my mind, true worship is the acknowledgement of both the wonderful
perfections and qualities of our Creator as well as his wonderful and
fearful acts on our behalf. For me to be able to worship the Lord
acceptably, it seems to me that I need to know something of the Lord's
character and nature as well as to be able to recognize when it is him
who acts. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with
reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"
May we all grow in our ability to recognize the Lord's hand when he
moves in our lives!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 7:22,
"When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men
throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords."
In a stunning account we read how Gideon, with a force of only 300
men, routed the vast army of the Midianites. And, did so with the aid
of trumpets and jars - not the typical weapons of warfare. Gideon
certainly had plenty of opportunity to recognize just who it was that
provided the victory. Indeed, the Lord had pared Gideon's original
fighting force of thirty-two thousand down to three hundred for the
specific purpose of insuring the Israelites not make the mistake that
the victory was of their own doing. "The Lord said to Gideon, 'You
have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order
that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved
her...'", and then the Lord tells Gideon to send most of the fighting
men home. See Judges 7:2-8. So, to be sure, it wasn't Gideon with 300
fighting men that routed the Midianites, but the Lord using Gideon and
the 300 men with trumpets and jars.
While Gideon had ample revelation to know what the Lord was doing
during this event, not all of the Lord's acts are as obvious to the
observer when things take place.This brings to mind a reoccurring
thought that comes to me. When events take place in my life, in the
lives of those around me, in our nation and so forth, am I recognizing
just who is responsible when something happens? In other words, am I
recognizing the wonderful and/or fearful works of the Lord on my
behalf, on behalf of others, when such acknowledgement is due? And, on
the flip side, do I recognize the events that are not the cause of the
Lord, but that possibly he gets the blame for? "Acts of God" is a
disclaimer often found in insurance policies and other places. Are
they always really specific acts of God? Or, as when people, who have
endured very difficult events in their lives, such as the loss of a
child and so forth, can become embittered toward the Lord for "taking"
the life of a loved one. Is it always the Lord that causes these kinds
of circumstances when they take place?
In my mind, true worship is the acknowledgement of both the wonderful
perfections and qualities of our Creator as well as his wonderful and
fearful acts on our behalf. For me to be able to worship the Lord
acceptably, it seems to me that I need to know something of the Lord's
character and nature as well as to be able to recognize when it is him
who acts. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with
reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"
May we all grow in our ability to recognize the Lord's hand when he
moves in our lives!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Monday, October 29, 2012
How strong does faith need to be? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 7:9-10,
"During that night the Lord said to Gideon, 'Get up, go down against
the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are
afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and
listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to
attack the camp.' So he and Purah his servant went down to the
outposts of the camp."
When the Lord told Gideon to attack the camp of the Midianites, he
provided Gideon an opportunity to assuage his fear. He could go down
to the Midianite camp and listen to one man telling another that his
dream meant the Lord was going to give the Midianites into Gideon's
hands. Gideon's response to this was to worship God and call his men
to action.
It is hard to be critical of Gideon. The Lord had pared his army of
thirty two thousand troops down to just 300 to fight against a
Midianite army so vast, they were described as "...swarms of locusts.
It was impossible to count the men and their camels". Judges 6:5. I am
certain any right-minded person would be fearful against such odds.
However, the Lord had told Gideon he would give the Midianites into
his hands - but he wasn't reassured until he heard the interpretation
of a dream from within the enemy camp.
Gideon had already been given marching orders by the Lord. He knew
what the Lord wanted him to do. Yet Gideon asked for a "sign" to
insure he was hearing the Lord correctly, that it really was the Lord
who was speaking to him. As a result we read about how Gideon prepared
a sacrifice for the Lord and the angel of the Lord consumed the meat
and the bread with fire right in front of him by simply touching it
with his staff, "fire flared from the rock". Verse 6:21. Gideon
exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face
to face!" 6:22.
Not only this, Gideon further asked for a sign from the Lord to
provide assurance that he really would save Israel through him. He
asked the Lord to make the morning dew collect only on a fleece and
not the ground. The Lord did so. Gideon asked again, this time to make
the morning dew collect on the ground but keep it off the fleece. The
Lord did so.
Gideon further revealed his challenged faith by following through on
the Lord's command to tear down his father's Baal altar and "Asherah"
pole and replace them with an altar to the Lord. Gideon did so - but
only at night, "So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord
told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the
town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime." Judges 6:27.
Gideon is acknowledged as a man of faith in Hebrews 11:32-38. He is
listed among those whose faith was such that it is said, "the world
was not worthy of them." As I note in these passages in Judges, I find
some fascinating things about this faith of Gideon, a faith he is
honored in the Scriptures for, a faith that yielded the world unworthy
of him.
The first is Gideon had faith, but it was a faith that needed
nurturing, it required authenticating responses from the Lord. I don't
know what kind of yardstick might be used to measure faith, but from
these accounts it was anything but a "perfect faith".
The second - and most astonishing - is the Lord worked with what faith
Gideon had, met him where his faith took him and provided what Gideon
would need to accomplish what the Lord had for him to do. Gideon had
faith and where that faith was weak, the Lord encouraged and
strengthened it.
I wish I were a great man of faith. Because I am not, these passages
about Gideon hold great interest for me. My faith may not be perfect,
but that does not mean there is no hope for me. How much faith does it
take to gain a standing of righteousness in God's sight? From Gideon,
I learn that the Lord does in fact work with those who have an
"imperfect faith".
Don't ask me what an "imperfect faith" is, because I couldn't say.
What I can say is that Gideon's faith required encouragement,
strengthening. In my mind it was not a perfect faith. Yet he was a man
of faith, acknowledged with great honor in the Scriptures. How much
faith does it take? Does faith have to be "perfect" in order to secure
our salvation?
I am reminded of Jesus' statement when his apostles asked him to
increase their faith, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the
sea,' and it will obey you." Luke 17:6. In Matthew 17:20-21 we read,
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will
move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Perhaps many of us can relate to the father of a demon possessed boy
who begged Jesus to heal him. When Jesus told him "Everything is
possible for him who believes", the man exclaimed, "I do believe; help
me overcome my unbelief!" Jesus healed the boy.
I do believe the Lord aids us when we respond to him with a faith as
small as a mustard seed. What I see in Judges 6 is that the Lord can
work with those of us who have imperfect faith. Faith, yes. We need to
believe, we need to trust. And when we may begin to question how
strong our faith is, I find comfort in the accounts of Gideon. If
nothing else, Judges is book all about faith. A lack of faith, a
little faith and how the Lord responds to what faith we do or do not
have.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 7:9-10,
"During that night the Lord said to Gideon, 'Get up, go down against
the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are
afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and
listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to
attack the camp.' So he and Purah his servant went down to the
outposts of the camp."
When the Lord told Gideon to attack the camp of the Midianites, he
provided Gideon an opportunity to assuage his fear. He could go down
to the Midianite camp and listen to one man telling another that his
dream meant the Lord was going to give the Midianites into Gideon's
hands. Gideon's response to this was to worship God and call his men
to action.
It is hard to be critical of Gideon. The Lord had pared his army of
thirty two thousand troops down to just 300 to fight against a
Midianite army so vast, they were described as "...swarms of locusts.
It was impossible to count the men and their camels". Judges 6:5. I am
certain any right-minded person would be fearful against such odds.
However, the Lord had told Gideon he would give the Midianites into
his hands - but he wasn't reassured until he heard the interpretation
of a dream from within the enemy camp.
Gideon had already been given marching orders by the Lord. He knew
what the Lord wanted him to do. Yet Gideon asked for a "sign" to
insure he was hearing the Lord correctly, that it really was the Lord
who was speaking to him. As a result we read about how Gideon prepared
a sacrifice for the Lord and the angel of the Lord consumed the meat
and the bread with fire right in front of him by simply touching it
with his staff, "fire flared from the rock". Verse 6:21. Gideon
exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face
to face!" 6:22.
Not only this, Gideon further asked for a sign from the Lord to
provide assurance that he really would save Israel through him. He
asked the Lord to make the morning dew collect only on a fleece and
not the ground. The Lord did so. Gideon asked again, this time to make
the morning dew collect on the ground but keep it off the fleece. The
Lord did so.
Gideon further revealed his challenged faith by following through on
the Lord's command to tear down his father's Baal altar and "Asherah"
pole and replace them with an altar to the Lord. Gideon did so - but
only at night, "So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord
told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the
town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime." Judges 6:27.
Gideon is acknowledged as a man of faith in Hebrews 11:32-38. He is
listed among those whose faith was such that it is said, "the world
was not worthy of them." As I note in these passages in Judges, I find
some fascinating things about this faith of Gideon, a faith he is
honored in the Scriptures for, a faith that yielded the world unworthy
of him.
The first is Gideon had faith, but it was a faith that needed
nurturing, it required authenticating responses from the Lord. I don't
know what kind of yardstick might be used to measure faith, but from
these accounts it was anything but a "perfect faith".
The second - and most astonishing - is the Lord worked with what faith
Gideon had, met him where his faith took him and provided what Gideon
would need to accomplish what the Lord had for him to do. Gideon had
faith and where that faith was weak, the Lord encouraged and
strengthened it.
I wish I were a great man of faith. Because I am not, these passages
about Gideon hold great interest for me. My faith may not be perfect,
but that does not mean there is no hope for me. How much faith does it
take to gain a standing of righteousness in God's sight? From Gideon,
I learn that the Lord does in fact work with those who have an
"imperfect faith".
Don't ask me what an "imperfect faith" is, because I couldn't say.
What I can say is that Gideon's faith required encouragement,
strengthening. In my mind it was not a perfect faith. Yet he was a man
of faith, acknowledged with great honor in the Scriptures. How much
faith does it take? Does faith have to be "perfect" in order to secure
our salvation?
I am reminded of Jesus' statement when his apostles asked him to
increase their faith, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the
sea,' and it will obey you." Luke 17:6. In Matthew 17:20-21 we read,
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will
move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Perhaps many of us can relate to the father of a demon possessed boy
who begged Jesus to heal him. When Jesus told him "Everything is
possible for him who believes", the man exclaimed, "I do believe; help
me overcome my unbelief!" Jesus healed the boy.
I do believe the Lord aids us when we respond to him with a faith as
small as a mustard seed. What I see in Judges 6 is that the Lord can
work with those of us who have imperfect faith. Faith, yes. We need to
believe, we need to trust. And when we may begin to question how
strong our faith is, I find comfort in the accounts of Gideon. If
nothing else, Judges is book all about faith. A lack of faith, a
little faith and how the Lord responds to what faith we do or do not
have.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Going round and round with the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 6:6,
"Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord
for help."
The occurrence of the Midianites impoverishing Israel was brought on
by the Lord himself. He made it happen and it was a result of Israel
turning its back, yet again, on him. In verse 1 we read, "Again the
Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he
gave them into the hands of the Midianites."
The question for me is why. Why this cycle is repeated so often in
Israel's history? Could not the Lord fashion out of Israel a people
that would follow him, be true to him and live in his blessings and
bountiful provision? How much nicer might it be to read an account of
a people chosen by the Lord who lived in a way that honored him and
experienced his wonderful blessings! When it comes to reading Israel's
history, rather than having an uplifting and inspirational story, we
have recorded for us cycles of sinful Israel turning its back on the
Lord, then experiencing hardship from the Lord, then crying out to the
Lord for deliverance, and the Lord, in his compassion, then bringing
Israel relief. Then the cycle begins all over again with Israel, yet
again, turning its back on the Lord once the hardship is removed.
Of course, the answer to that is the world we live in doesn't provide
for a people who will be true to the Lord - and it is not just Israel.
It is all mankind. The entire world lives in sinful rebellion against
its Creator. In its pursuit of sin, it has a compunction to turn from
the Lord. It matters not the people of Israel were chosen by God due
to the faith of the nation's patriarchs. The truth is we all have
sinful hearts, Jews and Gentiles alike.
This involvement of the Lord in Israel's history is a message for us
all. That message is that we, as humans, are fallen with a sinful
nature and no matter how many efforts we may make at "reforming"
ourselves, at attempting to live up to rules and laws, we simply are
in a hopeless sinful condition. We need to be saved - saved from God's
own judgment of us for our sinful condition. Saved from our proclivity
to sin, saved from ourselves. The Lord wants us to know this so that
we might reach out to him for the salvation he offers.
In Romans 8:20-21 we read why the Lord brought misery upon Israel and
why he does so to all mankind. "The creation was subjected to
frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from
its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the
children of God." This is a message for us all. The Lord uses the
futility and hardships in life to draw us to him, that we might reach
out to him and so be saved. He does not want to see us slip from a
life of comfort and ease into the lake of fire his own sense of
justice requires.
Jesus died for our sins. He has made payment that we might escape
God's judgment. God wants us to know of our sinful condition and
experiencing the frustration of our condition, reach out to him and
the forgiveness he provides. All he asks is that we trust in him.
The accounts in Israel's history of this are numerous. My apologies to
all, as there are thick-headed skulls like mine who need to hear it
over and again, as it is in God's grace to make sure I get this very
important message!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 6:6,
"Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord
for help."
The occurrence of the Midianites impoverishing Israel was brought on
by the Lord himself. He made it happen and it was a result of Israel
turning its back, yet again, on him. In verse 1 we read, "Again the
Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he
gave them into the hands of the Midianites."
The question for me is why. Why this cycle is repeated so often in
Israel's history? Could not the Lord fashion out of Israel a people
that would follow him, be true to him and live in his blessings and
bountiful provision? How much nicer might it be to read an account of
a people chosen by the Lord who lived in a way that honored him and
experienced his wonderful blessings! When it comes to reading Israel's
history, rather than having an uplifting and inspirational story, we
have recorded for us cycles of sinful Israel turning its back on the
Lord, then experiencing hardship from the Lord, then crying out to the
Lord for deliverance, and the Lord, in his compassion, then bringing
Israel relief. Then the cycle begins all over again with Israel, yet
again, turning its back on the Lord once the hardship is removed.
Of course, the answer to that is the world we live in doesn't provide
for a people who will be true to the Lord - and it is not just Israel.
It is all mankind. The entire world lives in sinful rebellion against
its Creator. In its pursuit of sin, it has a compunction to turn from
the Lord. It matters not the people of Israel were chosen by God due
to the faith of the nation's patriarchs. The truth is we all have
sinful hearts, Jews and Gentiles alike.
This involvement of the Lord in Israel's history is a message for us
all. That message is that we, as humans, are fallen with a sinful
nature and no matter how many efforts we may make at "reforming"
ourselves, at attempting to live up to rules and laws, we simply are
in a hopeless sinful condition. We need to be saved - saved from God's
own judgment of us for our sinful condition. Saved from our proclivity
to sin, saved from ourselves. The Lord wants us to know this so that
we might reach out to him for the salvation he offers.
In Romans 8:20-21 we read why the Lord brought misery upon Israel and
why he does so to all mankind. "The creation was subjected to
frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from
its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the
children of God." This is a message for us all. The Lord uses the
futility and hardships in life to draw us to him, that we might reach
out to him and so be saved. He does not want to see us slip from a
life of comfort and ease into the lake of fire his own sense of
justice requires.
Jesus died for our sins. He has made payment that we might escape
God's judgment. God wants us to know of our sinful condition and
experiencing the frustration of our condition, reach out to him and
the forgiveness he provides. All he asks is that we trust in him.
The accounts in Israel's history of this are numerous. My apologies to
all, as there are thick-headed skulls like mine who need to hear it
over and again, as it is in God's grace to make sure I get this very
important message!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Monday, October 22, 2012
Have you been touched by the Lord's activity lately? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 5:28-30,
"Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she
cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter
of his chariots delayed?' The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed,
she keeps saying to herself, 'Are they not finding and dividing the
spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for
Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for
my neck— all this as plunder?'"
Here are several verses from the victory song sung by Deborah, judge
or leader of Israel, and Barak, called on by the Lord to vanquish an
enemy of Israel. Sisera was the commander of King Jabin's army, a king
of Canaan who had "cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years."
Through Deborah, a prophetess as well as leader of Israel, the Lord
told Barak to take ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun to the
Kishon River where the Lord would give Sisera into his hands.
The song, commemorating Deborah's and Barak's victory over Sisera, is
recorded for us in Judges 5. In the song, verses 28-30 picture
Sisera's mother's painful and unfulfilled wait of her son's arrival
home following the battle. This poignant and painful passage depicts
the human reality of an historical account of war in ancient Israel.
It pictures the empty hope of a woman who lost a son. A woman looking
ahead to relish in the spoils that would be hers, were the Israelites
to be defeated. "Colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered
garments" she anticipated that would be given her from her victorious
son. They would not be arriving, neither the son.
The would be spoils, the "girl or two for each man" this mother
anticipated would have been daughters of Israel. The spoils
anticipated would have been the possessions of Israel. Rightfully,
Deborah and Barak relish in the victory celebration that these are
denied Sisera and his mother. Indeed, Sisera's mother is denied his
return. I am reminded the accounts I read in Scripture represent real
people that went through very real experiences, painful experiences as
well as experiences to celebrate and rejoice in.
I am likewise reminded that the Scriptures are not simply the domain
of dry and dusty theology, the domain of clergy and theologians as
grist for their perspectives and points of view. The Scriptures are
for us all. Among its writings are accounts of real people who lived
in a world touched by our Lord for his purposes, his agenda. They tell
us of the great acts of the Lord in this very same world we live in,
this world in which we must, just as the personalities we meet in its
pages, respond in one way or another to our Lord's very same purposes
and agenda.
As this sinful and rebellious world continues in its rejection of God,
we all experience the Lord's intervention in one way or another. As
this world continues its existence in its present form, we will
continue to experience events that will be both just as painful and
just as much a cause for celebration and rejoicing as the accounts we
read of, whether in Genesis or Judges, whether Luke or Acts. Accounts
of real people experiencing the ultimate reality of the Lord's acts
guided by his own purposes, his own agenda.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 5:28-30,
"Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she
cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter
of his chariots delayed?' The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed,
she keeps saying to herself, 'Are they not finding and dividing the
spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for
Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for
my neck— all this as plunder?'"
Here are several verses from the victory song sung by Deborah, judge
or leader of Israel, and Barak, called on by the Lord to vanquish an
enemy of Israel. Sisera was the commander of King Jabin's army, a king
of Canaan who had "cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years."
Through Deborah, a prophetess as well as leader of Israel, the Lord
told Barak to take ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun to the
Kishon River where the Lord would give Sisera into his hands.
The song, commemorating Deborah's and Barak's victory over Sisera, is
recorded for us in Judges 5. In the song, verses 28-30 picture
Sisera's mother's painful and unfulfilled wait of her son's arrival
home following the battle. This poignant and painful passage depicts
the human reality of an historical account of war in ancient Israel.
It pictures the empty hope of a woman who lost a son. A woman looking
ahead to relish in the spoils that would be hers, were the Israelites
to be defeated. "Colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered
garments" she anticipated that would be given her from her victorious
son. They would not be arriving, neither the son.
The would be spoils, the "girl or two for each man" this mother
anticipated would have been daughters of Israel. The spoils
anticipated would have been the possessions of Israel. Rightfully,
Deborah and Barak relish in the victory celebration that these are
denied Sisera and his mother. Indeed, Sisera's mother is denied his
return. I am reminded the accounts I read in Scripture represent real
people that went through very real experiences, painful experiences as
well as experiences to celebrate and rejoice in.
I am likewise reminded that the Scriptures are not simply the domain
of dry and dusty theology, the domain of clergy and theologians as
grist for their perspectives and points of view. The Scriptures are
for us all. Among its writings are accounts of real people who lived
in a world touched by our Lord for his purposes, his agenda. They tell
us of the great acts of the Lord in this very same world we live in,
this world in which we must, just as the personalities we meet in its
pages, respond in one way or another to our Lord's very same purposes
and agenda.
As this sinful and rebellious world continues in its rejection of God,
we all experience the Lord's intervention in one way or another. As
this world continues its existence in its present form, we will
continue to experience events that will be both just as painful and
just as much a cause for celebration and rejoicing as the accounts we
read of, whether in Genesis or Judges, whether Luke or Acts. Accounts
of real people experiencing the ultimate reality of the Lord's acts
guided by his own purposes, his own agenda.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Can the Lord use a wimp? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 6:14-16,
"The Lord turned to him [Gideon] and said, 'Go in the strength you
have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?' 'But
Lord', Gideon asked, 'how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.' The Lord answered, 'I will
be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.'"
The Midianites were very oppressive to Israel. We are told, "Because
the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared
shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds."
Verse 2. Additionally, they were strong in number, "They [the
Midianites] came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms
of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they
invaded the land to ravage it." Verse 5.
This concern voiced by Gideon of his weakness was no feigned humility.
I am quite certain he was anything but what might be recognized as a
great warrior. He tells the Lord his clan was the weakest in Manasseh
and he was the least in his family. A perfect choice for the Lord!
Why a perfect choice? At a time when Israel evidenced little faith in
the Lord's promise to bring victory, the Lord demonstrated something
of his strength and faithfulness as the Almighty. The Lord can and
will bring victory when he says he will, leaving no need for concern
or fear. He can be trusted entirely and is entirely capable. The Lord
will not require a great warrior to bring victory. He can do more than
enough with and through the weakest among us.
Our weakness is the canvas upon which the Lord demonstrates his strength.
I am reminded of Paul's comment in this regard, "He [the Lord] said to
me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for
Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
This is good news for me. When the Lord asks we do something, we need
not worry about strength and abilities. He always faithfully provides
us all we need. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so
that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8.
The Lord can do great things... even with a wimp!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 6:14-16,
"The Lord turned to him [Gideon] and said, 'Go in the strength you
have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?' 'But
Lord', Gideon asked, 'how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.' The Lord answered, 'I will
be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.'"
The Midianites were very oppressive to Israel. We are told, "Because
the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared
shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds."
Verse 2. Additionally, they were strong in number, "They [the
Midianites] came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms
of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they
invaded the land to ravage it." Verse 5.
This concern voiced by Gideon of his weakness was no feigned humility.
I am quite certain he was anything but what might be recognized as a
great warrior. He tells the Lord his clan was the weakest in Manasseh
and he was the least in his family. A perfect choice for the Lord!
Why a perfect choice? At a time when Israel evidenced little faith in
the Lord's promise to bring victory, the Lord demonstrated something
of his strength and faithfulness as the Almighty. The Lord can and
will bring victory when he says he will, leaving no need for concern
or fear. He can be trusted entirely and is entirely capable. The Lord
will not require a great warrior to bring victory. He can do more than
enough with and through the weakest among us.
Our weakness is the canvas upon which the Lord demonstrates his strength.
I am reminded of Paul's comment in this regard, "He [the Lord] said to
me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for
Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
This is good news for me. When the Lord asks we do something, we need
not worry about strength and abilities. He always faithfully provides
us all we need. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so
that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8.
The Lord can do great things... even with a wimp!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Barak: a man of little faith - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 4:8,
"Barak said to her [Deborah], 'If you go with me, I will go; but if
you don't go with me, I won't go.'"
In this account, Israel's judge, or leader, was Deborah. She was also
a prophetess. Through her the Lord commanded Barak, a son of Abinoam
from Kadesh in Nephtali to take ten thousand men from Naphtali and
Zebulun to Mount Tabor. From there the Lord would lure Sisera, the
commander of Jabin's army, to the Kishon River and "give him into your
hands", verse 7. Jabin was a Canaanite king who had "cruelly oppressed
the Israelites for twenty years" and the Israelites had cried to the
Lord for help.
When commanded by the Lord to take the army of Naphtali and Zebulun
fighters to vanquish Sisera, Barak refused to go unless Deborah went
with him. Although the Lord told Barak he would provide him the
victory, he looked to Deborah. This is reminiscent to me of when the
tribe of Judah was told by the Lord to be the first to go to vanquish
the Canaanites and that the Lord would be with them. Their first act
was to ask the Simeonites for help. Judges 1:1-3. Both accounts speak
to me of a lack of faith on the part of those asked by the Lord to go.
The Lord said "go" and he would provide the victory, and apparently it
was felt further help or aid beyond what the Lord would provide would
be needed. We are also told, when the Lord excoriated Israel's
disobedience, they were at fault for making covenants with various
peoples in the promised land to aid in their conquering others. It
eventually led to their downfall as they embraced the idol worship of
these peoples, Judges 2:1-5. Again, a lack of faith, as they did not
need to make covenants with the inhabitants of the promised land. The
Lord would have provided the victory.
What did this cost Barak? Deborah told him, "I will go with you. But
because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be
yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman." That woman, as
the story unfolds, would be Jael, the wife of Heber, a Kenite, that
is, a Gentile. She lured a fleeing and exhausted Sisera into her tent,
gave him milk to put him to sleep and then drove a tent peg through
his head.
The honor that would have been Barak's was squandered in his lack of
faith. Barak did lead the army (since Deborah went with him) and
Jabin's army was destroyed. But the real heroes of the account, in my
mind, are the two women of faith who stand out like shinning examples
to the rest of us, one a Jew and one a Gentile.
The Lord is truly worthy of all our faith and trust. May we all
emulate these great women of faith.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 4:8,
"Barak said to her [Deborah], 'If you go with me, I will go; but if
you don't go with me, I won't go.'"
In this account, Israel's judge, or leader, was Deborah. She was also
a prophetess. Through her the Lord commanded Barak, a son of Abinoam
from Kadesh in Nephtali to take ten thousand men from Naphtali and
Zebulun to Mount Tabor. From there the Lord would lure Sisera, the
commander of Jabin's army, to the Kishon River and "give him into your
hands", verse 7. Jabin was a Canaanite king who had "cruelly oppressed
the Israelites for twenty years" and the Israelites had cried to the
Lord for help.
When commanded by the Lord to take the army of Naphtali and Zebulun
fighters to vanquish Sisera, Barak refused to go unless Deborah went
with him. Although the Lord told Barak he would provide him the
victory, he looked to Deborah. This is reminiscent to me of when the
tribe of Judah was told by the Lord to be the first to go to vanquish
the Canaanites and that the Lord would be with them. Their first act
was to ask the Simeonites for help. Judges 1:1-3. Both accounts speak
to me of a lack of faith on the part of those asked by the Lord to go.
The Lord said "go" and he would provide the victory, and apparently it
was felt further help or aid beyond what the Lord would provide would
be needed. We are also told, when the Lord excoriated Israel's
disobedience, they were at fault for making covenants with various
peoples in the promised land to aid in their conquering others. It
eventually led to their downfall as they embraced the idol worship of
these peoples, Judges 2:1-5. Again, a lack of faith, as they did not
need to make covenants with the inhabitants of the promised land. The
Lord would have provided the victory.
What did this cost Barak? Deborah told him, "I will go with you. But
because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be
yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman." That woman, as
the story unfolds, would be Jael, the wife of Heber, a Kenite, that
is, a Gentile. She lured a fleeing and exhausted Sisera into her tent,
gave him milk to put him to sleep and then drove a tent peg through
his head.
The honor that would have been Barak's was squandered in his lack of
faith. Barak did lead the army (since Deborah went with him) and
Jabin's army was destroyed. But the real heroes of the account, in my
mind, are the two women of faith who stand out like shinning examples
to the rest of us, one a Jew and one a Gentile.
The Lord is truly worthy of all our faith and trust. May we all
emulate these great women of faith.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
God's judgment and compassion: which one wins? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:12-18,
"They [the Israelites] forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who
had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various
gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger
because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his
anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who
plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they
were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the
hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn
to them. They were in great distress.
Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of
these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but
prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their
fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had
walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's commands. Whenever the Lord
raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out
of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord
had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and
afflicted them."
This cycle repeats itself over and over in Israel's history. They turn
from the Lord so the Lord brings judgment upon them. In their
resulting suffering the Lord's compassion brings them relief. When the
suffering is ended the Israelites go right back to turning from the
Lord. The two chief aspects of the Lord's nature is on display in this
cycle. The Lord exercises judgment upon sinful man and in his kindness
he exercises compassion. It is a living out of Jeremiah 9:24, "'Let
him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness
on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord."
The Lord's justice is horrific and brings to us what we deserve. His
kindness and love are unfathomable and bring to us what we do not
deserve. As I think of how the Lord expresses both, when it comes to
which wins out over the other I am reminded of James 2:13b, "Mercy
triumphs over judgment!" However, I notice that comment of James
points to the truth that those who are not merciful will face
judgment, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the
law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown
to anyone who has not been merciful." Verse 12-13a. It is Jame's
recognition that the unmerciful manifest they are not saved because
they are not filled with the Holy Spirit as evidenced in their lack of
"spiritual gifts", as Paul enumerates in Galatians 5:22-24.
My perspective is the cross of Jesus Christ. God expresses his
unfathomable love for us by providing his own Son as a sacrifice to
pay for our sins, making provision for the possibility of joining
God's family. All he asks is we trust in him. Such love is beyond my
comprehension. I know of it, I express my deep appreciation of it, I
celebrate it, but it is simply beyond me to fathom. While such a
wonderful expression of love has been provided us from God, I note
that it is not done without God's justice also fully expressed: Jesus
suffered and died for our sins! Judgment and compassion in
breath-taking display!
When it comes to God's judgment and compassion, one does not "win"
over the other. Both are expressed by God and both of these aspects of
God are fully satisfied!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:12-18,
"They [the Israelites] forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who
had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various
gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger
because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his
anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who
plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they
were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the
hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn
to them. They were in great distress.
Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of
these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but
prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their
fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had
walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's commands. Whenever the Lord
raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out
of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord
had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and
afflicted them."
This cycle repeats itself over and over in Israel's history. They turn
from the Lord so the Lord brings judgment upon them. In their
resulting suffering the Lord's compassion brings them relief. When the
suffering is ended the Israelites go right back to turning from the
Lord. The two chief aspects of the Lord's nature is on display in this
cycle. The Lord exercises judgment upon sinful man and in his kindness
he exercises compassion. It is a living out of Jeremiah 9:24, "'Let
him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness
on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord."
The Lord's justice is horrific and brings to us what we deserve. His
kindness and love are unfathomable and bring to us what we do not
deserve. As I think of how the Lord expresses both, when it comes to
which wins out over the other I am reminded of James 2:13b, "Mercy
triumphs over judgment!" However, I notice that comment of James
points to the truth that those who are not merciful will face
judgment, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the
law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown
to anyone who has not been merciful." Verse 12-13a. It is Jame's
recognition that the unmerciful manifest they are not saved because
they are not filled with the Holy Spirit as evidenced in their lack of
"spiritual gifts", as Paul enumerates in Galatians 5:22-24.
My perspective is the cross of Jesus Christ. God expresses his
unfathomable love for us by providing his own Son as a sacrifice to
pay for our sins, making provision for the possibility of joining
God's family. All he asks is we trust in him. Such love is beyond my
comprehension. I know of it, I express my deep appreciation of it, I
celebrate it, but it is simply beyond me to fathom. While such a
wonderful expression of love has been provided us from God, I note
that it is not done without God's justice also fully expressed: Jesus
suffered and died for our sins! Judgment and compassion in
breath-taking display!
When it comes to God's judgment and compassion, one does not "win"
over the other. Both are expressed by God and both of these aspects of
God are fully satisfied!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Monday, October 15, 2012
Can faith be transferred? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:10,
"After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,
another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had
done for Israel."
We are told the result of this new generation forsaking the Lord
provoked his anger. As a result the Lord "handed them over to raiders
who plundered them." Verse 14. In verse 7 we read that the previous
generation served the Lord. This one did not and as a result they
experienced God's judgment.
I am reminded that the faith of one generation does not transfer its
benefit to another. We are all accountable to the Lord as individuals.
While the account here discusses Israel's relationship with the Lord
as a people, it is nevertheless the individuals in the nation that
make their choices and determine the outcome for the nation as a whole
as well as the fortunes of individuals and families within the nation.
Parents cannot bestow their faith upon their children. While there may
be great benefit in growing up in a family with godly parents, the
outcomes of the children will ultimately rest upon the choices they
themselves make. I am quite certain many parents have wished they
could make choices for their children relative to the Lord, but all
must ultimately acknowledge an individual's blessings from God rest
with the choices that individual makes for himself.
While we might wish it were another way, something to not overlook is
the reverse is also true. Just because parents may not be people of
faith, it does not preclude their children from turning to the Lord
and providing themselves a place in God's family. Many great saints in
the historical record of the church came from families of unbelievers.
I am reminded that when the Lord introduced the new covenant through
Ezekiel, he did so with this comment, "In those days people will no
longer say, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's
teeth are set on edge.' Instead, everyone will die for his own sin;
whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge." Ezekiel
31:29-30.
As Paul tells us, "We will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is
written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow
before me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will
give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:11-12.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:10,
"After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,
another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had
done for Israel."
We are told the result of this new generation forsaking the Lord
provoked his anger. As a result the Lord "handed them over to raiders
who plundered them." Verse 14. In verse 7 we read that the previous
generation served the Lord. This one did not and as a result they
experienced God's judgment.
I am reminded that the faith of one generation does not transfer its
benefit to another. We are all accountable to the Lord as individuals.
While the account here discusses Israel's relationship with the Lord
as a people, it is nevertheless the individuals in the nation that
make their choices and determine the outcome for the nation as a whole
as well as the fortunes of individuals and families within the nation.
Parents cannot bestow their faith upon their children. While there may
be great benefit in growing up in a family with godly parents, the
outcomes of the children will ultimately rest upon the choices they
themselves make. I am quite certain many parents have wished they
could make choices for their children relative to the Lord, but all
must ultimately acknowledge an individual's blessings from God rest
with the choices that individual makes for himself.
While we might wish it were another way, something to not overlook is
the reverse is also true. Just because parents may not be people of
faith, it does not preclude their children from turning to the Lord
and providing themselves a place in God's family. Many great saints in
the historical record of the church came from families of unbelievers.
I am reminded that when the Lord introduced the new covenant through
Ezekiel, he did so with this comment, "In those days people will no
longer say, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's
teeth are set on edge.' Instead, everyone will die for his own sin;
whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge." Ezekiel
31:29-30.
As Paul tells us, "We will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is
written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow
before me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will
give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:11-12.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Friday, October 12, 2012
God caught by surprise? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 3:7-8a,
"The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord
their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord
burned against Israel..."
The history of Israel can be discouraging to read through. From the
historical perspective of the Scriptural accounts we see the nation
making horrific choices in turning from God to pursue the wickedness
and idol worship of the peoples they now live among. We are told,
"They [the Israelites] took their daughters in marriage and gave their
own daughters to their sons, and served their gods." Verse 6. These
are the very people God commanded the Israelites to annihilate due to
the level of depravity they had sunk to.
Do I think God was caught by surprise at how his own chosen people
turned on him? Not in the least. "I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is
still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I
please.'" Isaiah 49:9c-10.
With the nation of Israel, God is showing - declaring to the world -
the depravity of the human heart. It is not just Israel. It is all
mankind. Through Israel's history the sinful heart of mankind is on
display - even when a people enjoys God's favor! As Paul quotes Psalms
and Ecclesiastes, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is
no one who understands;there is no one who seeks God. All have turned
away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does
good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12.
Paul makes an insightful observation about Israel's history, "These
things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings
for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think
you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" Israel's
history is God's curriculum for us concerning the sinful nature of the
deceitful hearts of all mankind. We won't seek salvation if we don't
know we need it.
It is people with such depraved hearts that God loves. He loves man so
much he sent his Son to pay the penalty for all mankind's sins. "He is
the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for
the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. In an unfathomable love for
all of us God had the Son of his love, the Son of his heart, come and
die a miserable death that we might have an opportunity to join God's
own family!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 3:7-8a,
"The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord
their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord
burned against Israel..."
The history of Israel can be discouraging to read through. From the
historical perspective of the Scriptural accounts we see the nation
making horrific choices in turning from God to pursue the wickedness
and idol worship of the peoples they now live among. We are told,
"They [the Israelites] took their daughters in marriage and gave their
own daughters to their sons, and served their gods." Verse 6. These
are the very people God commanded the Israelites to annihilate due to
the level of depravity they had sunk to.
Do I think God was caught by surprise at how his own chosen people
turned on him? Not in the least. "I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is
still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I
please.'" Isaiah 49:9c-10.
With the nation of Israel, God is showing - declaring to the world -
the depravity of the human heart. It is not just Israel. It is all
mankind. Through Israel's history the sinful heart of mankind is on
display - even when a people enjoys God's favor! As Paul quotes Psalms
and Ecclesiastes, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is
no one who understands;there is no one who seeks God. All have turned
away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does
good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12.
Paul makes an insightful observation about Israel's history, "These
things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings
for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think
you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" Israel's
history is God's curriculum for us concerning the sinful nature of the
deceitful hearts of all mankind. We won't seek salvation if we don't
know we need it.
It is people with such depraved hearts that God loves. He loves man so
much he sent his Son to pay the penalty for all mankind's sins. "He is
the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for
the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. In an unfathomable love for
all of us God had the Son of his love, the Son of his heart, come and
die a miserable death that we might have an opportunity to join God's
own family!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Is God for or against war, a "hawk" or a "dove"? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 3:1-2,
"These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who
had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to
teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had
previous battle experience)..."
Looking ahead to the Christmas season, many cards will be sent out in
December with the phrase, "Peace on earth, good will toward men." It
is a paraphrase from the King James Version of Luke 2:14, "Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
From these kinds of passages, many have come to the conclusion that
God hates war, war is sinful and his desire is that all mankind live
in peace. If that is the case, why did God teach warfare to the
descendants of the Israelites? If that is the case, why did God send
the Israelites into the promised land to carry out genocide against
the Canaanites? Maybe God was different back then... maybe by the time
Jesus was born God had "evolved" and now loves peace? I think not. I
think we have a misconception of God.
As I read all sixty-six books of my Bible I find that God has an
agenda. That agenda is to build a people for himself to spend eternity
with. Jesus came to proclaim the "kingdom of God" and offered it
initially to Israel, and eventually to all people. Far from desiring
that mankind have a happy and peaceful existence here in this lost and
fallen world, free from war, etc., God brings frustration to mankind.
"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice,
but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into
the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21. As much
as we hate to face it, the fear of enemies, the fear of poverty, the
fear of sickness, infirmity, disease and death provide us with the
motivation to reach out to God, to look to him for help, for a refuge,
for deliverance.
God knows if we live in a happy existence we will fail to recognize
our need of him and reach out to him. The purpose of this life is
build God's kingdom for the resurrection. He builds his kingdom of all
those who will embrace him in faith through the gospel message. Life
on this side of the resurrection is not the fullness of life God
intends for those who come into his family. I think in terms of this
life as a maternity ward. It is in this life that we come into being,
that we are physically born and hopefully, born again spiritually.
Jesus told Nicodemus, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is
born again." John 3:3.
This life is not about mankind living in peace and prosperity. What
the angels said on that Christmas night was "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." The peace
proclaimed there is peace between God and those who have now embraced
him in faith. This is what the coming of Jesus Christ was all about.
Mankind exists as enemies of God, "For if, when we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans
5:10.
In the Scriptures we find God moving nation against nation for his
purposes. In the case of the Canaanites, their level of sin precluded
the achievement of God building his kingdom. Just as in the days of
Noah, God acted. Now, with the Israelites moving into their territory,
God provides an environment of difficulty and frustration for the
Israelites that caused them to reach out to him. He did this knowing
they would turn from him. "They forsook the Lord, the God of their
fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and
worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the
Lord to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the
Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to
raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around,
whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to
fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as
he had sworn to them. They were in great distress." Judges 2:12-15.
God did these things to draw Israel back to himself. "they cried out
to the Lord" when they were subjected to Aram Naharaim. Under the
thumb of Moab we read "Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord".
Under Jabin, a king of Canaan, we are told, "they [the Israelites]
cried to the Lord for help". In Judges 6:6 we read, "Midian so
impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help."
God's agenda is to draw all men to himself. He is not building
paradise here, in this age, but will provide that in the resurrection
for all who will embrace him in faith. In effort to draw mankind to
himself, he has subjected the world to frustration through war,
poverty, sickness, disease and death. I don't know if this means that
God is pro-war, a "hawk" and not a "dove", but he certainly uses it to
achieve his purposes. He does it to draw all men to himself out of his
unfathomable love for all mankind.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 3:1-2,
"These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who
had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to
teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had
previous battle experience)..."
Looking ahead to the Christmas season, many cards will be sent out in
December with the phrase, "Peace on earth, good will toward men." It
is a paraphrase from the King James Version of Luke 2:14, "Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
From these kinds of passages, many have come to the conclusion that
God hates war, war is sinful and his desire is that all mankind live
in peace. If that is the case, why did God teach warfare to the
descendants of the Israelites? If that is the case, why did God send
the Israelites into the promised land to carry out genocide against
the Canaanites? Maybe God was different back then... maybe by the time
Jesus was born God had "evolved" and now loves peace? I think not. I
think we have a misconception of God.
As I read all sixty-six books of my Bible I find that God has an
agenda. That agenda is to build a people for himself to spend eternity
with. Jesus came to proclaim the "kingdom of God" and offered it
initially to Israel, and eventually to all people. Far from desiring
that mankind have a happy and peaceful existence here in this lost and
fallen world, free from war, etc., God brings frustration to mankind.
"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice,
but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into
the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21. As much
as we hate to face it, the fear of enemies, the fear of poverty, the
fear of sickness, infirmity, disease and death provide us with the
motivation to reach out to God, to look to him for help, for a refuge,
for deliverance.
God knows if we live in a happy existence we will fail to recognize
our need of him and reach out to him. The purpose of this life is
build God's kingdom for the resurrection. He builds his kingdom of all
those who will embrace him in faith through the gospel message. Life
on this side of the resurrection is not the fullness of life God
intends for those who come into his family. I think in terms of this
life as a maternity ward. It is in this life that we come into being,
that we are physically born and hopefully, born again spiritually.
Jesus told Nicodemus, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is
born again." John 3:3.
This life is not about mankind living in peace and prosperity. What
the angels said on that Christmas night was "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." The peace
proclaimed there is peace between God and those who have now embraced
him in faith. This is what the coming of Jesus Christ was all about.
Mankind exists as enemies of God, "For if, when we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans
5:10.
In the Scriptures we find God moving nation against nation for his
purposes. In the case of the Canaanites, their level of sin precluded
the achievement of God building his kingdom. Just as in the days of
Noah, God acted. Now, with the Israelites moving into their territory,
God provides an environment of difficulty and frustration for the
Israelites that caused them to reach out to him. He did this knowing
they would turn from him. "They forsook the Lord, the God of their
fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and
worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the
Lord to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the
Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to
raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around,
whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to
fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as
he had sworn to them. They were in great distress." Judges 2:12-15.
God did these things to draw Israel back to himself. "they cried out
to the Lord" when they were subjected to Aram Naharaim. Under the
thumb of Moab we read "Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord".
Under Jabin, a king of Canaan, we are told, "they [the Israelites]
cried to the Lord for help". In Judges 6:6 we read, "Midian so
impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help."
God's agenda is to draw all men to himself. He is not building
paradise here, in this age, but will provide that in the resurrection
for all who will embrace him in faith. In effort to draw mankind to
himself, he has subjected the world to frustration through war,
poverty, sickness, disease and death. I don't know if this means that
God is pro-war, a "hawk" and not a "dove", but he certainly uses it to
achieve his purposes. He does it to draw all men to himself out of his
unfathomable love for all mankind.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
How forgettable is the Lord? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:6-15,
"After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take
possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. The people served
the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who
outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done
for Israel...
After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,
another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had
done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord
and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers,
who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various
gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger
because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his
anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who
plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they
were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the
hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn
to them. They were in great distress."
Here, I believe is the "heart and soul" of why Judges is such a
depressing book for me. The Israelites had forsaken the Lord and
turned to the false gods of the peoples they now shared the promised
land with. Earlier in the chapter we are told the Israelites made
"covenants" with the very people the Lord had commanded they destroy,
Judges 2:1-3. Because of this the Lord told them he would no longer
drive out these people and they would become thorns in Israel's side
and their gods would be "a snare" for them. So, why did Israel
forsake the Lord? We are told, "another generation grew up, who knew
neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." Why didn't they
know the Lord? Why did they not know of the breath-taking things the
Lord had done for them as a people?
I can only surmise the older generation must not have raised up their
children in the manner they were told to. Joshua had told this
previous generation, "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses
gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you
may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law
depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do
not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be
with you wherever you go." The Israelites were to meditate on the
Scriptures "day and night".
Before entering into the promised land Moses told the Israelites,
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at
home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you
get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your
gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9. He went on to say, "be careful that you do
not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery... Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around
you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his
anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of
the land." Deuteronomy 6:12-14.
These are the very things the Israelites failed to do, the same things
they were warned of. They must have failed to meditate on the law, the
Scriptures. They certainly must have failed to impress the Scriptures
"on your children". It is these, their children who now forsook the
Lord and turned to these false Gods.
It makes you think about our responsibilities today in our own
families. Are we focusing on the Lord? Do we meditate on the
Scriptures? How much do we keep the Lord in mind from day to day? No
wonder the Lord told us to share in the loaf and pass the cup in
remembrance of him. The words of the writer of Hebrews seems fitting
here, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most
Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for
us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great
priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he
who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews
10:19-25.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:6-15,
"After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take
possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. The people served
the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who
outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done
for Israel...
After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,
another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had
done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord
and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers,
who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various
gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger
because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his
anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who
plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they
were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the
hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn
to them. They were in great distress."
Here, I believe is the "heart and soul" of why Judges is such a
depressing book for me. The Israelites had forsaken the Lord and
turned to the false gods of the peoples they now shared the promised
land with. Earlier in the chapter we are told the Israelites made
"covenants" with the very people the Lord had commanded they destroy,
Judges 2:1-3. Because of this the Lord told them he would no longer
drive out these people and they would become thorns in Israel's side
and their gods would be "a snare" for them. So, why did Israel
forsake the Lord? We are told, "another generation grew up, who knew
neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." Why didn't they
know the Lord? Why did they not know of the breath-taking things the
Lord had done for them as a people?
I can only surmise the older generation must not have raised up their
children in the manner they were told to. Joshua had told this
previous generation, "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses
gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you
may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law
depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do
not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be
with you wherever you go." The Israelites were to meditate on the
Scriptures "day and night".
Before entering into the promised land Moses told the Israelites,
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at
home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you
get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your
gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9. He went on to say, "be careful that you do
not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery... Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around
you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his
anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of
the land." Deuteronomy 6:12-14.
These are the very things the Israelites failed to do, the same things
they were warned of. They must have failed to meditate on the law, the
Scriptures. They certainly must have failed to impress the Scriptures
"on your children". It is these, their children who now forsook the
Lord and turned to these false Gods.
It makes you think about our responsibilities today in our own
families. Are we focusing on the Lord? Do we meditate on the
Scriptures? How much do we keep the Lord in mind from day to day? No
wonder the Lord told us to share in the loaf and pass the cup in
remembrance of him. The words of the writer of Hebrews seems fitting
here, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most
Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for
us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great
priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he
who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews
10:19-25.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
What in the world is God doing? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:19b-23,
"They [the Israelites] refused to give up their evil practices and
stubborn ways. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said,
'Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for
their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive
out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will
use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the
Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.' The Lord had allowed
those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving
them into the hands of Joshua."
I note here the Lord used nations to carry out his agenda. His focus
here is on Israel's lack of faith as manifested in their disobedience
to him. Due to Israel's disobedience the Lord decided, "I will no
longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he
died." Rather, "The Lord had allowed those nations to remain..." The
Israelites would soon discover how their disobedience to the Lord
would lead to their own demise. These nations "... will be thorns in
your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."
These are the same nations Moses had told Israel years earlier, "When
you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to
imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found
among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in
witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who
consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the
Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will
drive out those nations before you." Deuteronomy 18:9-12. As a result
Moses tells Israel, "However, in the cities of the nations the Lord
your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything
that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has
commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the
detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin
against the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 20:16-18. These nations had
become detestable before the Lord, and although he initially wanted
Israel to annihialate them, he will now use these very same nations to
fulfill his purposes in his dealings with disobedient Israel.
We read of the establishment of nations in the account of the Tower of
Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. Paul tells us that the concept and
institution of nations on planet earth was ordained by God with an
ultimate purpose, "From one man he [God] made every nation of men,
that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times
set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this
so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26-27. God's
ultimate purpose for the nations of the earth is that through the
interactions of nations, men might seek God, reach for him and find
him. These interactions are to provide a climate where we might find,
"the creation... subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but
by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into
the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21.
Our existence here on planet earth, in this lost and fallen condition
of the world, living in sinful rebellion to its maker, is not one to
be pleasant and comfortable such that we are lulled into an inevitable
destination in a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.
Rather, God brings those things into our lives that we might recognize
our need of him and reach out to him to seize the salvation he offers.
Does God still work among the nations today? Is his reflection
captured in the news accounts of world events today? I believe very
much so. Paul's comment about the leaders of our countries is
enlightening, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against
what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on
themselves." Romans 13:1-2. Any understanding of world events today
that fails to recognize what the Lord is doing is woefully short. We
need to recognize that not just in the historical events surrounding
Israel's interaction with nations and not just today, the Lord is seen
working among the nations at the end of the age, "When the thousand
years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out
to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and
Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on
the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and
surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came
down from heaven and devoured them." Revelation 20:7-9.
"What in the world is God doing?" is a very relevant question.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:19b-23,
"They [the Israelites] refused to give up their evil practices and
stubborn ways. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said,
'Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for
their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive
out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will
use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the
Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.' The Lord had allowed
those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving
them into the hands of Joshua."
I note here the Lord used nations to carry out his agenda. His focus
here is on Israel's lack of faith as manifested in their disobedience
to him. Due to Israel's disobedience the Lord decided, "I will no
longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he
died." Rather, "The Lord had allowed those nations to remain..." The
Israelites would soon discover how their disobedience to the Lord
would lead to their own demise. These nations "... will be thorns in
your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."
These are the same nations Moses had told Israel years earlier, "When
you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to
imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found
among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in
witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who
consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the
Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will
drive out those nations before you." Deuteronomy 18:9-12. As a result
Moses tells Israel, "However, in the cities of the nations the Lord
your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything
that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has
commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the
detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin
against the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 20:16-18. These nations had
become detestable before the Lord, and although he initially wanted
Israel to annihialate them, he will now use these very same nations to
fulfill his purposes in his dealings with disobedient Israel.
We read of the establishment of nations in the account of the Tower of
Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. Paul tells us that the concept and
institution of nations on planet earth was ordained by God with an
ultimate purpose, "From one man he [God] made every nation of men,
that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times
set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this
so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:26-27. God's
ultimate purpose for the nations of the earth is that through the
interactions of nations, men might seek God, reach for him and find
him. These interactions are to provide a climate where we might find,
"the creation... subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but
by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into
the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20-21.
Our existence here on planet earth, in this lost and fallen condition
of the world, living in sinful rebellion to its maker, is not one to
be pleasant and comfortable such that we are lulled into an inevitable
destination in a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.
Rather, God brings those things into our lives that we might recognize
our need of him and reach out to him to seize the salvation he offers.
Does God still work among the nations today? Is his reflection
captured in the news accounts of world events today? I believe very
much so. Paul's comment about the leaders of our countries is
enlightening, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against
what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on
themselves." Romans 13:1-2. Any understanding of world events today
that fails to recognize what the Lord is doing is woefully short. We
need to recognize that not just in the historical events surrounding
Israel's interaction with nations and not just today, the Lord is seen
working among the nations at the end of the age, "When the thousand
years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out
to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and
Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on
the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and
surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came
down from heaven and devoured them." Revelation 20:7-9.
"What in the world is God doing?" is a very relevant question.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Why are chariots so difficult? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 1:19,
"The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill
country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains,
because they had iron chariots."
Here is an amazing thing! The Lord told Judah to be the first to go up
and fight against the Canaanites. We are told the Lord was with them,
but when they came against the people from the plains, they could not
beat the them "because they had iron chariots." What was it about
those chariots that the men of Judah were unable to win the victory?
With these chariots, were these Canaanites too great a match for the
Lord and his people?
The answer to this lies in the context. The Lord was with the men of
Judah and they did enjoy some victories. However, the men of Judah
were not entirely with the Lord and as such their victories were not
consistent or complete. Their failures ultimately led to their own
downfall as the Canaanites that remained led the Israelites into
idolatry.
The men of Judah manifested their incomplete faith in the Lord by
asking for additional help from the tribe of Simeon after the Lord
told them he would give them the victory. Apparently, for no reason,
the Lord's help was not something they had complete confidence in.
"Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands." Judges 1:2.
It wasn't just the men of Judah, the other tribes experienced only
partial victories as well, as given to us later in the chapter.
Eventually the Lord brought his indictment against Israel by pointing
out they had made treaties with the inhabitants of the land in
violation of what the Lord had told them to do, Judges 2:2. Treaties
are entered into when one people determines it wants reciprocal help
from another. Israel was to destroy all these peoples. Instead, they
were entering into treaties with some of the peoples to vanquish
others. Again, their confidence in the Lord's promises was not there.
Faith in the Lord is message the of all of Scripture. Israel's
existence as the Lord's people was due to one thing alone: "Abram
believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
Genesis 15:6. The Lord promised Abraham an inheritance. Unfortunately,
we see that Abraham's offspring often failed in this crucial issue of
faith. And, so it is with all peoples. This is why faith in the Lord
is such a stumbling stone and why the gate into eternal life is
narrow. "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a
rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be
put to shame." Romans 9:33. The one who does not trust in him will
surely stumble as the Israelites demonstrate so well in the book of
Judges.
May we all pursue a different outcome by placing our entire faith and
trust in Jesus Christ.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 1:19,
"The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill
country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains,
because they had iron chariots."
Here is an amazing thing! The Lord told Judah to be the first to go up
and fight against the Canaanites. We are told the Lord was with them,
but when they came against the people from the plains, they could not
beat the them "because they had iron chariots." What was it about
those chariots that the men of Judah were unable to win the victory?
With these chariots, were these Canaanites too great a match for the
Lord and his people?
The answer to this lies in the context. The Lord was with the men of
Judah and they did enjoy some victories. However, the men of Judah
were not entirely with the Lord and as such their victories were not
consistent or complete. Their failures ultimately led to their own
downfall as the Canaanites that remained led the Israelites into
idolatry.
The men of Judah manifested their incomplete faith in the Lord by
asking for additional help from the tribe of Simeon after the Lord
told them he would give them the victory. Apparently, for no reason,
the Lord's help was not something they had complete confidence in.
"Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands." Judges 1:2.
It wasn't just the men of Judah, the other tribes experienced only
partial victories as well, as given to us later in the chapter.
Eventually the Lord brought his indictment against Israel by pointing
out they had made treaties with the inhabitants of the land in
violation of what the Lord had told them to do, Judges 2:2. Treaties
are entered into when one people determines it wants reciprocal help
from another. Israel was to destroy all these peoples. Instead, they
were entering into treaties with some of the peoples to vanquish
others. Again, their confidence in the Lord's promises was not there.
Faith in the Lord is message the of all of Scripture. Israel's
existence as the Lord's people was due to one thing alone: "Abram
believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
Genesis 15:6. The Lord promised Abraham an inheritance. Unfortunately,
we see that Abraham's offspring often failed in this crucial issue of
faith. And, so it is with all peoples. This is why faith in the Lord
is such a stumbling stone and why the gate into eternal life is
narrow. "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a
rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be
put to shame." Romans 9:33. The one who does not trust in him will
surely stumble as the Israelites demonstrate so well in the book of
Judges.
May we all pursue a different outcome by placing our entire faith and
trust in Jesus Christ.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Monday, October 1, 2012
Who is the Lord to intervene? - Ruminating in the Word of God
The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Joshua 1:1-2,
"After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, 'Who will
be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?' The
Lord answered, 'Judah is to go; I have given the land into their
hands.'"
Following Joshua's death the Israelites approached the Lord to inquire
of him as to how they should proceed in their taking possession of the
land God had given them. I wonder how the Canaanites felt about it?
The land had been theirs. They had lived there for generations and now
God is sending Israel into Palestine to remove them. Not just to
remove them, but to annihilate them. I wonder how the Canaanites felt
about that? Yes, the Canaanites were a horribly wicked people, but,
just who is God to give what is theirs to the Israelites?
Maybe a silly question. But it does bring to bear some perspective we
need for our day. Somehow, most folks over the years have adopted an
attitude that they are masters of their own destiny, that no other has
a right to intrude upon them and take their property, their
possessions, their families, their nation, their lives from them. We
live in a land that was constituted upon the recognition that each has
rights given them, not from government but from their Creator. This
government finds its legitimacy established through acts of protecting
these rights of its citizens. Life, liberty and property are chief
among them.
It must be observed, however, that he who gives rights can rightfully
take them away. And, in the time of the Judges, the Canaanites were
set to lose a lot. The Lord holds every legitimate right to take the
land and the lives from any people.
Any right anyone might have ultimately must be given by God. He is the
one who created it all. He gives life to all men and enables them to
live and move within his creation to subdue it, to settle into nations
within it. Paul told his listeners at the Areopagus in Athens, "The
God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by hands." He goes on to say,
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the
exact places where they should live." Paul tells us God's purpose in
his affairs with mankind, determining when and where peoples are
established, "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps
reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of
us." Acts 17:24-27.
The nations of the earth exist entirely to serve God's agenda, his
purposes. When nations no longer serve those purposes, they find
themselves in the position the Canaanites found themselves during the
times of the Judges. The psalmist says, "Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his
Anointed One. 'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off
their fetters.' The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at
them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his
wrath, saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.'"
Psalm 2:1-6.
The best perspective our nation, any nation, can adopt is one in which
we recognize we exist solely to serve our Creator's purposes as a
nation. Any pursuit apart from that perspective will ultimately find
its inevitable end in the ash-heap of history. If Scripture teaches us
anything about the nations of the earth, it is that the life and
vitality of any nation is directly commensurate with how it fulfills
God's purposes for it.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Joshua 1:1-2,
"After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, 'Who will
be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?' The
Lord answered, 'Judah is to go; I have given the land into their
hands.'"
Following Joshua's death the Israelites approached the Lord to inquire
of him as to how they should proceed in their taking possession of the
land God had given them. I wonder how the Canaanites felt about it?
The land had been theirs. They had lived there for generations and now
God is sending Israel into Palestine to remove them. Not just to
remove them, but to annihilate them. I wonder how the Canaanites felt
about that? Yes, the Canaanites were a horribly wicked people, but,
just who is God to give what is theirs to the Israelites?
Maybe a silly question. But it does bring to bear some perspective we
need for our day. Somehow, most folks over the years have adopted an
attitude that they are masters of their own destiny, that no other has
a right to intrude upon them and take their property, their
possessions, their families, their nation, their lives from them. We
live in a land that was constituted upon the recognition that each has
rights given them, not from government but from their Creator. This
government finds its legitimacy established through acts of protecting
these rights of its citizens. Life, liberty and property are chief
among them.
It must be observed, however, that he who gives rights can rightfully
take them away. And, in the time of the Judges, the Canaanites were
set to lose a lot. The Lord holds every legitimate right to take the
land and the lives from any people.
Any right anyone might have ultimately must be given by God. He is the
one who created it all. He gives life to all men and enables them to
live and move within his creation to subdue it, to settle into nations
within it. Paul told his listeners at the Areopagus in Athens, "The
God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by hands." He goes on to say,
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the
exact places where they should live." Paul tells us God's purpose in
his affairs with mankind, determining when and where peoples are
established, "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps
reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of
us." Acts 17:24-27.
The nations of the earth exist entirely to serve God's agenda, his
purposes. When nations no longer serve those purposes, they find
themselves in the position the Canaanites found themselves during the
times of the Judges. The psalmist says, "Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his
Anointed One. 'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off
their fetters.' The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at
them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his
wrath, saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.'"
Psalm 2:1-6.
The best perspective our nation, any nation, can adopt is one in which
we recognize we exist solely to serve our Creator's purposes as a
nation. Any pursuit apart from that perspective will ultimately find
its inevitable end in the ash-heap of history. If Scripture teaches us
anything about the nations of the earth, it is that the life and
vitality of any nation is directly commensurate with how it fulfills
God's purposes for it.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)