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Category Archives: Spirituality
Link highlights – September 2016
There Was No King in Israel: Why Study the Book of Judges?
It was the best of times and the worst of times. The children of Israel, liberated from Egyptian bondage and dwelling in the land of promise, should have been enjoying the blessings of God, living under their own vines and fig trees. Instead, they faced cycles of backsliding, carnality, followed by repressive foreign occupation.
When they woke up to their sin, Israel called out to God, who sent them a human deliverer called a ‘judge.’ Once the judge delivered the nation from their oppressors, Israel remained faithful to the LORD as long as the judge lived. Once he or she passed away, then they returned to their old worldly ways.
This pattern, which occurred with nauseating regularity, is the story of the Book of Judges. This book covers a period of over 350 years from the time of Joshua the conqueror until the coming of Samuel, the final judge (who is first mentioned in I Samuel, not Judges).
There are some great stories of deliverance in it, like that of Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah. Some of these judges are so noteworthy that they merit a mention in the ‘hall of faith’ in Hebrews Chapter 11. Yet there are some real scandals, like the Danites stealing Micah’s idols and priest and setting up the northern city of Dan on a foundation of idolatry. Years later, Jeroboam’s golden calf was installed here, the altar platform is still present until today. Even worse was the brutal rape and murder of the Levite’s concubine which led to civil war and the near annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin.
Great insights and lessons await you as you study the Book of Judges.
Hebrew Name
It is easy to confuse the heroes of this book with men and women, wearing long black robes and white whigs while pounding a gavel in a courtroom. The Hebrew name for judges is shophetim which translated means rulers, saviours, and deliverers. The judge can settle disputes, win battles, liberate and deliver people. After their military victory, they settle down to to civilian leadership, where they rule and judge.
Author
Anonymous, though tradition nominates Samuel as the author.
Date
Probably after Saul became king. The reason is that the Book of Judges uses the phrase ‘There was no king in Israel,’ implying that Israel had a king at the time of writing.
Theme
Cycles of reprobation and revival. The pattern was one of:
The Descent
Service (of God),
Seduction,
Sin,
Scandal,
Servitude (to foreign occupiers) – this is where they hit rock bottom
The Ascent
Seeking God,
Sanctification, and
Salvation.
This pattern is what happened again and again and again.
Portrait of Christ in Judges
In Judges we learn about Christ as Saviour-Ruler. As long as the judge lived, Israel served the LORD. Since Christ rose from the dead and lives forevermore, His people will remain eternally faithful to God.
Like the rest of the Bible, Judges does not do a whitewash of the main characters. It tells their story just as it was, warts and all: Gideon made an ephod in Oprah, Samson had ‘women problems,’ and Jephthah uttered a rash vow. Yet all of this helps to highlight to glory of Christ, who never sinned and is able to save us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).
Judges serves as a reminder, if one was needed, how humanity stands in desperate need for a Saviour.
Key Verses in Judges
Judges 2:20-21:And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; 21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
Judges 21:25:In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Distinctives
Judges is a real object lesson of ‘comparison and contrast.’ We see good and evil, light and darkness, faithfulness and debauchery, living side-by-side. While this may seem like deep dark ancient history, it helps illustrate the ‘last days,’ which Scripture teaches is a time of ‘contrasts,’ just like Judges.
• Contrast: God’s faithfulness to Israel’s backsliding.
• Contrast: A penitent Israel to a hedonistic Israel.
• Contrast: The faith of the judges to the faithlessness of the people.
• Contrast: The perfection of Christ to the flaws of the judges.
Outline of Judges
1. Failure of Israel to Conquer all the Land (1:1-3:34): Failure of Judah, Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulon, Asher, Naphtali, Dan. Angel makes announcement.
2. Southern Campaign: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar (3:5-31)
3. Northern Campaign: Deborah/Barak (4:1-5:31)
4. Central Campaign: Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair (6:1-10:5)
5. Eastern Campaign: Jephthah (10:6-12:7)
6. Second Northern Campaign: (12:8-15)
7. Western Campaign: Samson (13-16)
8. Israel’s Idolatry (17:1-18:31)
9. Israel’s Immorality (19:1-30)
10. Israel’s Civil War (20:1-21:25)
FROM ‘DE FACTO’ TO ‘DE JURE:’ Part 02
Finding Legitimacy in an Immoral World
‘Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.’ –Hebrews 13:4
DE FACTO: Existence without legal or ecclesiastical recognition or sanction.
DE JURE: Existence by right according to law.
Last month we looked at the ever-rising phenomena of de facto relationships, also known as cohabitation. We will explore this topic some more.
Just because something is commonplace and permitted by society does not make it healthy and right. After all, cigarette smoking is legal but it can cost your thousands of dollars a year and have a detrimental effect on your health. Gambling also is legal and look at the trail of trouble and sorrow it leaves.
Some claim that a de facto relationship helps prepare a couple for marriage and prevents divorce. Does it? Research suggests otherwise: couples that live in a de facto relationship before marriage are more likely to divorce than couples that wait until marriage. One statistic said that of couples who were married twenty years or more, 56% of those who lived as a de facto couple before marriage ended up in divorce, while 29% of those who never cohabited before marriage ended up in divorce. According to the Jubilee Report on cohabitation: ‘The idea that first cohabitations that lead to marriage do not result in an increased rate of divorce is not reflected by this data set: prior cohabitation with a spouse is associated with 60 per cent higher risk of divorce (emphasis mine).
Another study concluded that 75% of married couples were still together when their child turned 16; only 7% of de facto couples can make the same claim. That’s a ten-fold increased for the married couples. In Britain, the direct annual cost of family breakdown is GBP 41.7 billion. The Daily Mail Online, ‘Married Parents Ten Times More Likely to Stay Together,’ Sarah Harris (February 2010).[ii]
Why Are Those Who Live Together
Before Marriage More Likely to Divorce?
Why is this the case? Why do couples who live in a de facto relationship have a greater chance of divorce? It is like the analogy of a building during an earthquake. If the building has deep, strong foundations, then it will withstand the tremors. However, if the building has weak foundations, the first shake will bring it down. Life-long relationships have good foundations: Godly commitment, mutual love and respect, morality and strength. These things will help the relationship weather any storm. Unfortunately, the de facto relationship does not have these things and so even when one eventually marries, due to the poor moral and commitment foundations, it will be vulnerable to collapse, even with the slightest of shaking.
Others say that single parents enter into a de facto partnership so that the children can have a father figure in the home. While it is indeed possible for non-biological fathers to show love and kindness to (step) children, there is an alarming trend of the adverse effects de facto relationships have on youngsters.
In his article, “De Facto Danger” (Melbourne Herald Sun, April 6, 1998, page 19), Paul Gray says “Our ongoing willingness to pretend that de facto fathering is just as good as traditional fathering (the biological father living in a stable relationship with the mother) is having horrific consequences.” Gray quotes former human rights commissioner Brian Burdekin as saying de facto living arrangements have increased the child sex abuse rate by 600 per cent. A NSW Child Protection Council reports says suspected killers in de facto relationships was 6 1/2 times higher than in the population at large. The sad and sensational cases of Jesse Winning (14 months) and Daniel Valerio (age 2), who were murdered by their mother’s de facto partners, only highlights this alarming trend. ‘Traditional fathering, within the stable, two-parent family, is clearly the best way to protect and raise children. For that, the evidence is overwhelming,’ remarks Gray.
If the person is uncommitted to their de facto partner, why would they be caring and committed to the children of that partner?
Above all, there is a far more serious implication about de facto relationships that have a long-term effect. Any sexual activity within these relationships clearly falls into the category of fornication and/or adultery. Apart from the temporal disadvantages of these acts, like venereal disease and unwanted pregnancies, are the eternal consequences. On this matter, God’s Word is very clear. Hebrews 13:4 affirms this. Read also Ephesians 5:3-5; I Timothy 1:9-10; Revelation 21:8; 22:15. The implications couldn’t be plainer
Study after study confirms the following conclusions:
1. De facto or cohabitation relations lead to a markedly increased risk of divorce compared to those who have never married.
2. De facto increases the risk of domestic violence against women and men, and also violence against children;
3. Lower levels of happiness and satisfaction;
4. De facto relations have serious spiritual consequences.
Having observed the world for all these years, it is impossible to ascribe any benefits whatsoever to cohabitation. Consider the bedrock motivation behind many de facto relationships: a lack of making a genuine, long-term commitment; fear of failure; wanting to reap the benefits and pleasures without taking the responsibilities and commitment those benefits require; exhibiting and enhancing weak character. Of course, these attitudes of de facto-ism are not just in relationships; they can also occur in business, politics, the church, and more.
To be continued
FACTS ABOUT COHABITATION[i]
• Over half of all first marriages are proceeded by cohabitation (University of Wisconsin document)
• Cohabitation doesn’t reduce the likelihood of divorce–in fact it leads to a higher divorce risk. One study showed 46% higher risk (1992 Journal of Marriage and Family).
• No positive contribution of cohabitation to marriage has ever been found, not even sexual compatibility, as usually suggest (1993 Journal of Marriage and Family)
• Cohabitants tend not be as committed as married couples, or prepared to work on their differences (1995 Journal of Family issues)
• Particularly problematic is the area of serial cohabitation. It generates a greater willingness to dissolve later relationships. (1993 Journal of Family Issues)
• About 60% of cohabitation ends in marriage (1989 National Study of Cohabitation
• In general, cohabiting relationships tend to be less satisfactory than marriage relationship-s, with cohabiting couples reporting lower levels of happiness, sexual exclusivity and sexual satisfaction, as well as poorer relationships with parents (Bumpass, Sweet & Cherlin’s 1991 study)
• After five years, only 10% of cohabiting couples are together. They do not tend to permanency (Bumpass & Sweet’s 1989 study)
• Married couples have substantial benefits over the unmarried in terms of labour force productivity, physical and mental health, general happiness and longevity (1994 American Journal of Sociology)
• Annual rates of depression among cohabiting couples is more than three times the married rate. (1990 Psychiatric Disorders in America)
• Physical and sexual abuse of a spouse is much higher. One study showed evidence of being twice as high (1991 Journal of marriage and family)
• Abuse is 20 times higher for children with cohabiting, but biological parents, but 33 times greater if the parent was cohabiting with a non-parenting male partner (1993 Family Education trust: London).
• The 1996 poverty rate was 6% with married parents, but 31 % with cohabiting parents (1996 Journal of Marriage and the Family).
–taken from Leadership NOW! January 2000, page 12.
FROM DEFEAT TO VICTORY: A Lesson from Joshua Part 01
Life has a nasty habit of not going according to the script. The journey is often longer, harder, and more unpredictable than expected. Victory and defeat, success and failure, joy and tears, are often next door neighbours, happening in quick succession. However, when you follow Biblical principles, ultimate blessing, success, and victory will be yours.
Let’s take the example from the life of Joshua. As appointed, anointed and directed by God, he led the children of Israel into the promised land – the inheritance promised to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, the journey from promise to fulfilment went in directions hard to imagine.
1. Left turn: Jacob/Israel, due to the famine in Joseph’s day, ended up leaving the promised land altogether;
2. Sojourn: Israel ends up living in Egypt.
3. Length: The Egyptian sojourn lasted 400 years.
4. Return: The journey back to the promised land was long and indirect, with twists and turns throughout the wilderness. Due to five sins, the journey took Israel 40 years (I Corinthians 10:5-13).
5. Fulfilment: Now that Israel left Egypt, made it through the wilderness, and stood at the gate of the promised land, their inheritance would not be handed on a silver platter. They would have to fight for it. There are numerous promises in Scripture and all of them are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ (II Corinthians 1:20). Yet, we too, will have to ‘fight the good fight of faith’ in order to lay hold of them (I Timothy 6:12).
Victory and Defeat
The first fight was the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6). Though an impregnable fortress, Jericho’s wall crumbled with ease before the victorious Israelites. Flush with victory, Joshua found out that their next destination, Ai, would be a ‘cake walk.’ No need to send the entire army – just 3,000 men.
This ‘piece of cake’ turned out to be a death trap. The people of Ai came out of their town as tigers and 36 Israelites were smitten.
What went wrong? Why was there this ‘speed bump’ that knocked the entire enterprise off-track? After rising up early in the morning and seeking God, Joshua got a very direct answer from God to explain their defeat. It was not because of the strength of their enemies. The cause came from within: Israel sinned.
The sin was the in several parts (Joshua 7:11):
1. They transgressed God’s covenant – the binding agreement that attracts great blessing when obeyed and terrible curses when broken;
2. They took the accursed thing;
3. They stole it;
4. Dissembled it;
5. They put it among their own stuff.
This was no misdemeanour. Failure to obey meant that Israel was rendered powerless before a minor enemy. Furthermore, God said He would no longer be with them until they rooted out the accursed thing.
As is often the case, our greatest challenges come from the enemy within, including our own evil hearts, more than from external foes. One’s ability to be cleansed from the evil attracts God’s presence, which virtually assures victory.
In short, defeat came to Israel because it touched the accursed thing. Only by remedying the situation could victory come.
Next month, we will learn the nature of the accursed thing and have to pass from curse to blessing.
TO BE CONTINUED:
Link highlights – August 2016
Highlights of links to online news and opinion pieces for August 1st to 31st, 2016.
Women, work and worth
Much of our charity directed at helping women and children ignores the economics of inequality and unfairness. But Boaz realised that charity to Ruth and Naomi was not enough.
Overwhelmed and Defeated? Try the ‘Samuel Solution’
VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING:
Overwhelmed and Defeated? Try the ‘Samuel Solution’
Life has always been filled with challenges. Handled correctly, they can leverage you to a better place. Handled unwisely, the demotion can be swift.
What about when the enemies and problems proliferate? Like the ‘verbal bombs’ of the culture war, the spread of violent jihadism, and rise in temperature at global ‘hot spots?’ Why are once great nations being humbled by a much smaller enemy in this asymmetrical war? When the troubles, pressures, and the enemy comes in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19), what do you do?
For the God-fearer, the question should be: Is there a Word from the LORD?
Short Answer: Yes! It’s the ‘Samuel Solution’
Solomon wisely observed that there is ‘nothing new under the sun’ (Ecclesiastes 1:9). What we see in our day has a parallel in Biblical history.
During the time of Samuel, the last judge of Israel, there was great distress in the land. Their sworn-enemy, the Philistines, was winning victory after victory. In one particular incident, they came to Shiloh, their ancient capital where the tabernacle stood. They stole the Ark of the Covenant, destroyed the city, and brought a great slaughter to Israel. Eli the Priest and his sons Hophni and Phinehas were all slain. It was like Armageddon.
Eventually, in their darkest hour, a chastened Israel came to seek counsel from Samuel, the man of God. They looked for, and received, a ‘word from the Lord.’ A couple of powerful insights came from this encounter.
Samuel’s First Principle – Backsliding: The reason Israel was defeated by the Philistines was not because of the strength of the enemy but by the backsliding of the people. God gave generous promises of protection but if the people were unfaithful to the LORD, His protective hand would be withdrawn. In Deuteronomy 28:25 (NKJV), failure to obey the voice of the LORD your God, would bring humiliating results with the enemy.
The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Again and again, we learn it is not the strength of the enemy but the strength of our sin that will defeat us.
Samuel’s Second Principle – Revival: There is a promise and prospect of deliverance and victory. The key to this is found in I Samuel 7:3. Samuel told a humbled Israel:
If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.
Can it be any simpler? Deliverance and victory come by doing the following:
1. Return to the LORD with all your hearts;
2. Put away (get rid of) the false gods and unclean things among you;
3. Prepare your hearts for the LORD;
4. Serve the LORD only.
Do these simple principles (even a child can understand them) and God promises to deliver you from the ‘hand of the Philistines.’ You will go from being ‘overwhelmed’ to being an ‘overcomer.’
How did Israel respond to Samuel? They immediately got rid of the Baals and Ashtoreths and served the LORD only (I Samuel 7:4).
Then Samuel called all Israel for prayer at Mizpeh. When the Philistines heard it, they came rushing toward them like a flood. The people of Israel began to panic and said to Samuel to cry out to the LORD to save them. God heard the prayer of Samuel – and noted the repentance of Israel – sent a loud thunder upon the Philistines and they were overcome.
Samuel took a stone and called it ‘EBENEZER,’ meaning ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’
Israelite cities which had been taken by the Philistines were restored. Please note I Samuel 7:13:
So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
Repentance, fruit of repentance (put away the false gods), returning to God, and prayer, are part of the Biblical prescription for deliverance from enemies. It is called ‘revival.’ Note that as long as Samuel was the judge, the Philistines – Israel’s relentless enemy – no longer came into their territory.
Today, we need Godly leadership which will position God’s people into a state of blessing and protection, while keeping the enemy at bay: humble-servant leaders, not lordship leaders; shepherds, not CEOs; saints, not superstars.
The problems of the western world will not be solved by national elections, government funding, or trendy ideologies. Only by employing the ‘Samuel Solution’ – prayer for a Holy Spirit revival – with exemplary leadership, will turn the tide. God will hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land (II Chronicles 7:14).
Be Strong & Of A Good Courage: Why Study the Book of Joshua
Despite so much talk about ‘leadership’ today, there is a curious absence of the most important character quality: courage. Without courage, you cannot go forward, overcome obstacles, suppress fear, and make it safely to your destination. In short, without courage, you cannot lead. Remember that courage is not bravado, bullying, biceps, or bluster. Courage is the mastery of fear, a steeling determination to go forward, to take one’s focus off the obstacles and aim it clearly at the prize. No turning back.
To live as a Bible-believing Christian in an increasingly hostile world takes courage, conviction, and consecration, while willing to turn one’s back on comfort, convenience, and cowardice. In order to become ‘strong and courageous,’ one needs to learn the Bible, God’s Holy Word.
A great inspiration for this is the Book of Joshua. It is the first of a series of historical books in the Bible. The Book of Joshua has a victorious theme: After centuries of exile in Egypt, the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob finally inherit the land promised to their fathers. The exodus is finished, the land is possessed, and the covenant with God renewed in the land.
Here are some points to get you started in your study of Joshua.
Hebrew Name
He came from the tribe of Ephraim and his original name was Hoshea, the son of Nun. Hoshea means ‘salvation.’ In Numbers 13:16, Moses changes his name to Yehoshua or Joshua, which means ‘Yahweh is salvation.’ The diminutive form of Yehoshua is Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus.
Author
While so many Bible books have anonymous authors, this one does not. It says in that Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law (Joshua 24:26). So he is the author of the book that bears his name.
Theme
Possess your possession.
Portrait of Christ in Joshua
1. Scarlet cord: Rahab the harlot and her city of Jericho were scheduled for invasion and destruction. The only thing that would save her and her family was hanging a scarlet coloured cord on the window of their home. Whoever dwelt in the house where the scarlet cord hung when the invasion occurred would be spared (2:18-19). This is similar to an event which happened 40 years earlier in Egypt: The Passoer. The death angel passed over any (Israelite) house in the land of Egypt that had the shed blood of the passover lamb on the window or door. What a powerful metaphor of the blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin (I John 1:7) and delivering us from death.
2. Commander of the LORD’s Army (5:14): On the eve of the invasion of Jericho, the Commander stood before Joshua, who asked him if he was on Israel’s side or their enemies. He answered ‘Neither: I am Commander of the Lord’s army.’ This Commander had to be the Lord Himself because a) Joshua fell on his face and worshipped him and b) He said that the ground was holy.
Jesus Christ is coming back again, not to take sides, but to take over.
Key Verses
Joshua 1:8-9 (NKJV):This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 11:23 (KJV):So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
Distinctives
• Fulfilled covenant: The Book of Joshua shows the proof that God fulfilled His covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give their descendants the land of Canaan. God is faithful to His word (21:43, 45).
• Joshua: A forerunner of Jesus, Who leads His people out of sin and into their promised inheritance;
• Jordan River: Boundary to the promised land. It represents a line of consecration which needs to be crossed.
• Canaan: Represents our inheritance before God.
• Gilgal: Israel’s first camp in Canaan. It represents a place of covenant, where the ‘reproach of Egypt’ was rolled away.
• Conquest of Canaan: We have a glorious inheritance in Christ but we must ‘fight the good fight of faith’ (I Timothy 6:12) in order to receive it;
• Holy and Herem: The land was the holy inheritance of God but there were parts that were ‘herem,’ the accursed thing assigned for destruction. Jericho was one of those places. Failure to completely destroy the accursed brought judgment on Israel (Joshua 7:10-13).
• Supernatural intervention: In the battle of the south and the 5 kings, Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still in Gibeon and the moon over the Valley of Aijalon (10:12). The Scripture goes on to say that there was not a day before or sine, when the Lord obeyed a man, for He fought for Israel. God will move heaven and earth to intervene on behalf of His servants who are doing His will.
• Rest: After the battle, and fighting the good fight of faith, there is rest (Joshua 11:23; 14:15; 21:44; 22:4; 23:1).
Outline of Joshua
Crossing Jordan and Preparation to Invade Jericho 1-5
Conquest of Jericho 6
Sin of Achan 7
Conquest of Ai 8
Treaty with the Gibeonites 9
Conquest of the South 10
Conquest of the North, Kings slain 11-12
Land divided among the tribes; city of refuge 13-21
Reuben, Gad, Manasseh go to Transjordan; Altar of Witness at Jordan 22
Farewell speech, Covenant at Shechem, Death of Joshua 23-24
Joshua is a courageous, overcoming, victorious book. May it help you to become ‘strong and courageous’ in the coming days.
Link highlights – July 2016
Highlights of links to online news and opinion pieces for July 1st to 31at, 2016.