Judges 11

'Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. (Judges 11:24)

I quite like this verse in the chapter. Jephthah was using reasoning to make his stand firm. And what he said was indeed very reasonable, and very right.

But it made me think a little further.. Do I actually possess whatever the LORD has taken possession of before me? Do I actually proceed with courage and faith to take over what the LORD has given into my hands? Thinking back, perhaps there were many times we had not proceed with such faith to conquer something that God has already given into our hands. I'm thinking about the power to overcome sins.

Didn't God promise that being new man, reborn of the water and the spirit, we would be able to overcome our sinful nature? The old man may have been enchained in sin, but the new man in Christ is free, no longer under the bondage of sins. Jesus had went on before us, to shed His precious blood on the cross, the sinless dying for the sinful. As a result, our sins can be washed away and we are made free.

Jesus was there, before us, and today, through the Holy Spirit, He hands over to us this power to overcome sins. What have we done to this power, this authority? Have we cast it aside? Have we lost it?

We must believe that we have the power to overcome sins. We might be struggling with sin now, but remember that "he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin" (1 Peter 4:1). Many times, when we meet with these struggles, we give up, thinking that it is too hard. If only we endure a little more! If we had persevere a little longer, I believe we can break the chains that sin had put on us.

Can we look beyond the pain and the suffering, and look towards that glorious crown? It really depends on whether we believe that we have been given this power to do away with sin. He has already first went into the land and chased out the inhabitants, we need only to have faith to enter the land and take possession of it. Are we able to say with confidence and faith, "Whatever the LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess"?

Judges 10

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. (Judges 10:16)

Are you able to see the important point being made here?

See, "His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel." God's soul cannot bear to see us suffer. It's so... amazing to me. He will actually be hurt when He sees me in pain. This is one of the things that truly marvels me about God.

BUT. the important point here is the first sentence of that verse. "So they put away the foreign gods from among the and served the LORD." God's heart will beat for us yes, but only when we abide in Him. In other words, we are obeying Him, and doing things that are according to His will. It was only when Israel put away their foreign gods and turned back to God that God's heart also felt the pain that Israel felt.

God likes to see our repentant hearts. And when we are willing to surrender ourselves to God, God's abundant mercies and compassion can carry us through. And His heart, yes, even God's heart, will feel for us.

But when we refuse to do right, and turn away from serving the true God, His righteousness shall burn against our iniquities and consume us on the last day.

Therefore, may this serve as a eternal warning to us.

"Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. (Judges 10:13)

I will deliver you no more. Imagine that this is the final words that Jesus says to you on that last day! Please, NO!

How many times then do we want to grieve the Lord? How many times do we need to be delivered before we truly understand the grace within?

God, let this always be in my heart: "Therefore I will deliver you no more." so that I will always be on my toes and be watchful of my ways.

Judges 9 - The King

"The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them.
And they said to the olive tree,
'Reign over us!'

But the olive tree said to them,
'Should I cease giving my oil,
With which they honor God and men,
And go to sway over trees?'

"Then the trees said to the fig tree,
'You come and reign over us!'

But the fig tree said to them,
'Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit,
And go to sway over trees?'

"Then the trees said to the vine,
'You come and reign over us!'

But the vine said to them,
'Should I cease my new wine,
Which cheers both God and men,
And go to sway over trees?'
(Judges 9:8-13)

God was the one who bestows us our gifts and with these, we serve Him and edify men. If I am an olive tree, I would give forth my oil to anoint my dear Lord. If I am a fig tree, I would give off my sweetness and my fruit to the Lord. If I am a vine, I would offer up my new wine for the Lord. The important thing is to know what type of tree we are, then can we offer up the best that we are bestowed with.

My Lord, I don't want to be a king over men. I don't ever want to be king over You! At times, we do that when we command God in our prayers, insisting certain things to be done our own ways. We must remember that only God is King. When our own hearts deceive even ourselves, God have the ability to give us a new heart. When we find ourselves strengthless to move on, God strengthen our hands and feet. Only God has the authority to be ruler over our body and minds. For us to proceed on this heavenly path, we must ask God to be ruler over our hearts and minds.

On our own part, we must also rule over our own hearts and minds. Resist the devil and He will flee from you. We must restrain our hearts and curb our emotions. Don't indulge in emotions because it gives the devil a foothold. We must also restrain our minds and think only about things above which are good and holy.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. (Phil 4:8)

However, while we try to be rulers over ourselves, we often fail if we don't seek the counsel of God. We have to ask Him to teach us how to rule, while at the same time, allowing Him to rule over our body and minds completely.

These are still lessons that I am trying to learn.

If the trees were to come to me and exclaimed, "Reign over us!" What would be my reply?

Should I cease the fruit of the Spirit,
and the sweet aroma of a living sacrifice,
which are pleasing in the sight of God;
forgetting the goodness of the Ruler,
and despising His grace,
And sashay over men?

Judges 8

But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you." (Judges 8:23)

I like the way he can answer so plainly.

If I were him, I would probably say something like, "Yes, I will help to guide you all, but remember that God is the ultimate leader and ruler." Basking in the glory, I would probably have persuaded myself to keep some praises to myself.

Gideon didn't. He did not reserve even the tiniest bit of glory for himself. His reply tells us that he did not attribute any little bit of success or strength to himself; rather, he understood very clearly and firmly that it was God who had delivered the people. He was simply a vessel of God's use. Faced with temptation, he remained strong and rooted in God, not shaken by any praises or glory showered upon him. I bet he didn't even have to think when answering the question! Probably the time from verse 22 to 23 took only a split second - when thrown the question, straightaway Gideon knew the answer. This should be the case today when our beliefs are challenged. Any hesitation would allow space for the devil to work.

The verse really struck me while I was reading the chapter. The simplicity of his reply is just so beautiful.

Judges 7 - experience that affirms

"But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. (Judges 7:10-11)

Don't you think God is so niceee? He is a gentleman lah! God has already told Gideon that He has delivered the enemies into his hands, yet He understood the weakness of man and was gracious enough to allow us to seek affirmation other than from the words He speaks. Remember that the word of God is life itself (John 6:63) and holds authority on its own, yet God understood that man needs assurance from what they experience by themselves.

In this case, Gideon had to make a trip to the enemies' camp and hear with his own ears the dream of a man and its interpretation, which was the same prophecy that God had told Gideon.

Remember also Thomas, the doubting disciple, who did not believe that Jesus had resurrected until He put his fingers through Jesus' hands and put his hand into His side. Jesus allowed him to do that, saying "Do not be unbelieving, but believing." (John 20:27)

The opening statement of the First epistle of John also tells us that Jesus didn't just speak to them, rather He was "heard", "seen" with their eyes, "looked upon", and "handled" by their hands. He did not simply told the words of God; He was experienced by His believers. And this personal experience gave assurance.

The Holy Spirit that we receive today in this end-times is precisely that assurance that comes from personal experience. When God poured down the Holy Spirit at the beginning (Acts 2), it was also to complement and affirm the word of God. It was something that believers can seek for themselves and experience for themselves. God didn't just give us a book filled with His word and then tell us, "Na, these are my words. Obey!" just like He also didn't force Gideon to believe in Him right from the start, but allowed him to work out his own weakness of not having enough faith in God.

Likewise, today when we receive the Holy Spirit, we can also learn to work through our own weaknesses to have complete trust in the Word of God. As we experience the indwelling and the fullness of the Spirit, we know that what we believe in is true. We experience firsthand for ourselves what it is like to have the Spirit of God in our hearts and we see for ourselves the Christ-like manner we slowly become when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. The Holy Spirit is thus our own personal experience that affirms the Word of God.

Judges 6

Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." (Judges 6:13)

The first time I read this, I was thinking that Gideon was very brave to make such comments openly. Didn't he believe in God - the omnipresent and omnipotent God? I was thinking that I surely wouldn't dare say something like "If God is with us"... But after further thoughts, I realise that these murmurings are actually quite commonly made. Often for very small things we will be made to believe that God is not with us. We like to hold on to the thought that if He is with us, things must definitely run smoothly.

But often, trials and sufferings happen because God is trying to call us back to Him. God allowed certain things to take place, hoping that we might remember about Him and call upon His name. This was exactly the case with the Israelites during the period of the judges. They had to be subjected to the enemies before they remember about God's deliverance and cry out to Him. God simply hope that we can learn the lesson of relying upon Him. And all these are for our sakes, not His.

Sometimes, it makes me wonder why God even bother about us when we are the ones who forget Him and turn away. Yet He never gave up, even to the point of death on the cross. He had to painstakingly draw out this salvation path for us so that we may still enjoy eternity with Him at the end. He had to watch us fall away after He had delivered us out from Egypt (the sinful world), and then wait for us to return back to Him when meet with troubles. And when we sincerely repent before Him, He will deliver us once again from the hands of the enemies. To me, this is like why go through all the trouble mannn....

God is love. This is probably the most equal, most balanced equation that exists. If you think you know love, let me ask you, do you know God?

Judges 5 - to be like the sun in full strength

"Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD!
But let those who love Him be like the sun
When it comes out in full strength." (Judges 5:31)

So beautiful... to be like the sun when it comes out in full strength.

Today happened to be another hot day. Even the water coming from the tap feels hot! :S At times like this, I often hear of people saying that they cannot stand the weather in Singapore anymore, that they want to emigrate. It is really understandable. Even someone like me who usually sleep without the aircon nor the fan finds the weather these days to be quite unbearable. At times like these, we will look towards the blazing sun (if we can do that without hurting our eyes), and think, "If only it can be milder, or hidden behind a cloud."

Now, we can have a twist. Whenever we see the sun in full strength, shooting its rays towards us mercilessly, let us remember this verse. "Let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength."

As I was reading this verse, my first interpretation was that God will bestow strength like that of the sun to those who love Him, such that enemies will not triumph over us but instead perish. This is true because we can ask God for strength to triumph over the evil one and He will definitely give us such power. And indeed, such power from God will shine forth like that of a sun in full strength, and there will be nothing that can hinder us in our walk of faith. Not even the cloud of doubt.

I came out with a second interpretation though. This time round, the active agent is us, rather than God. Let us who love God be fearless for God, and to summon our strength and shine them forth like a fervid sun. Let us learn to give our all up for the Lord, like the sun (in full strength) casting out all its energy without reserve.

The next time we encounter the blazing hot sun, hope that we may remember about this verse and ponder about our own strength in the Lord. May God guide (:

Judges 4

Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. (Judges 4:21)

It's not the first gruesome incident that I've encountered ever since I started Judges. I literally grimaced lah!

I was reminded of a comment made by a brother before about the degeneration of the people's state in the period of Judges. It's scary to see people just doing what they feel like, without any considerations of other morals. (However, I guess this act in Judges 4:21 was according to the will of God..)

It's frightening how one's spiritual life can deteriorate to such a state, when one is without the intervening hands of God in his life.

Judges 3

Three points that I gather from today's short reading:

1) And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. (Judges 3:4)

Often, God has also allowed certain tempting situations to be around me so that I may be given the chance to grow. It is a chance to learn to obey God and to rely on Him.

2)So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. (Judges 3:7)

The act of forgetting something. It reminded me of a sermon I heard before. About how men are forgetful creatures and that once "out of sight, out of mind". Since we cannot see God, very often we tend to forget about God, or rather, He tend not to occupy our thoughts. Instead, we occupy ourselves with the things that can be seen, that are around us. We allow ourselves to be influenced by such things.

But this is what the Bible says:
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

3) Lastly, can you see the strength of Israel whenever God was with them? Whenever the people cried out to the Lord, God had compassion on the people. He raised up a deliverer and His power was mightily with them. With the strength of God, they could triumph over their enemies.

How can we apply it to our lives today? Whenever we abide by the will of God, we will be able to feel the power that comes from Him in all that we do. When we obey God and do His good will, we will find that nothing is too difficult for us to handle, and we will be able to do them with the grace of God.

Judges 2 - Justice and Mercy

And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel.... (Judges 2:14)

... for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them." (Judges 2:18)

I found two emotions that God displayed in this chapter - anger and pity. How is it that in the same chapter, the author described such contradictory emotions of the same God? Why was God seemingly contradictory Himself?? He was angry at Israel and thus gave them in to the enemies. However, He also raised up judges to help the people because He saw their distress.

Actually I hesitated using 'emotions' on God because 'emotions' are temporary mood states, and thus didn't seem appropriate for use on a eternal God. But i guess what's important is the characteristics or attributes that underlie such emotions that are good for us to consider. And those attributes are eternal.

God is just. He will not hesitate to punish those who did wrongly, especially that of idolatry. Yes, He is a jealous God. But He has all the right to be so. He is the Creator. He breathes life into us. He covered our shame. He died so that we may live. He is the only True God. His jealousy only serves to do us good, so that we may pursue after that which is true. Often times, He gave many chances such that men are without excuse should they continue to sin. And so, when the time come for judgement, He will not hesitate to punish the evildoers and cast them out.

However, God is also full of compassion. He is a merciful God. He loves us dearly such that despite our fall, He has also prepared a way out for us. And as long as we rely on Him, we can still live. He isn't blind to our sufferings. He knows how it is like to be in the flesh, because He was in one, and He suffered even more than anyone possibly had and could. Ultimately, He hopes for all men to be saved through trusting in Him.

This episode of God being angry at Israel and giving them in to the enemies, but at the same time, raising up judges to help them completely seems to reflect our own situation with God. Adam and Eve sinned, and thus, because of the justice of God, they were cast out of the garden of Eden. It is only right that one is punished for one's wrongdoing. However, we see that the compassionate God also prepared the salvation path for us to regain our status back as the children of God. That is, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

What more can I say? *wistful sigh*
My God is just superb. He is able to incorporate the two seemingly contradictory attributes perfectly. Justice and mercy. (hallelujah! can't help but praise Him!)

因为,祂的怒气不过是转眼之间,祂的恩典乃是一生之久(诗30:5)

Judges 1

And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out. (Judges 1:28)

I'm just thinking... sometimes we think that we are strong enough, and so we slacken in our fight against Satan. We feel that we are able to stand fast against any sort of temptations, and so we see no need to completely remove the root of the devil in our lives. In essence, we allow Satan to dwell in our midst, because we feel that he is no threat to us. We believe that we will be able to stand firm in our faith.

Most of the time, however, we know that that is not true. Remember that the devil is like a prowling lion waiting to devour its prey. At times when it seemed like he doesn't threaten us, it isn't really so; rather, he is stalling time, to catch us when we least expect it, pouncing on us as a final blow.

Even little things like allowing murmurings and complaints to form in your heart, or the occasional R21 films.... don't think that they don't harm you. Allowing their co-presence as you seek to live a life for God is as good as a battle lost. As you allow them to thrive, these things will eventually sprout and flourish and bear fruits. Rotten fruits, that do not help you in your spiritual growth.

Before such harvest, therefore, let us learn to completely drive the Canaanites out right from the start!