Today's OT reading (Judges 19-21) is the most repulsive story in the Bible. It is not repulsive because the Bible is bad, but because people are bad. It contains the worst elements of sinful humanity: sexual perversion, brutality, stubbornness, cruelty, impudence.
It begins with a Levite from Ephraim tracking down a run-away concubine. As they return home, they stop in the city of Gibeah (in the territory of Benjamin), where no one offers to take care of them. Eventually a fellow Ephraimite who happened to be staying in the city took them in. What follows is a nightmare. The men if the city demand to gang rape the Levite. In desperation the man and the Levite give the mob the concubine, who is abused all night and falls dead at the threshold (was she begging to be let back in? what a horror!). The Levite dismembered her, sending a grisly message to each tribe to let them know what had happened.
The tribes were outraged, and demanded that Benjamin punish the men of Gibeah. Not only did the Benjamite refuse, they mustered for battle, and at the end of the incredibly bloody conflict 40,000 Israelites were dead and nearly all of the men of Benjamin were annihilated (25,100 of 26,000). The book concludes with Israel trying to find a way around its impudent vow not to marry anyone from Benjamin, leading to the brutal invasion of Jabesh-gilead and the kidnapping of hundreds of women for the survivors of Benjamin to marry.
The book of Judges began with the story of Israel's efforts to subdue to the Canaanites. It ends with a tribe of Israel nearly wiped out like the Canaanites were supposed to have been, a sad reminder than in many ways Israel had become indistinguishable from Canaan.
However, today's NT reading (Acts 2) presents a much different picture. Instead of Israel at war with itself, Jews from every nation under heaven were gathered in one place, and by the miracle of tongues able to hear the message of the gospel. And that message was not just for Israel, but for "whoever calls on the name of the Lord." By the end of the chapter, thousands of new Christians "were together and had all things in common."
This is the power of the gospel. It reconciles sinful men with God, and with each other.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Daily Bible Reading - April 15 - Religion for the Highest Bidder
I once heard a joke about a man who decided to proposition a woman.
In Judges 17-18 a man in the hill country of Ephraim named Micah decides to create his own religion. He sets up shrine, complete with an idol and ephod (a priestly garment), and installed his own son as a priest. Some time later a Levite wandered into his house, and Micah offered to set him up as priest - offering a handsome salary and new wardrobe! The Levite accepted the offer, and became Micah's "house priest."
Having demonstrated he was for sale, the Levite was bound to find a better deal. And he did - the form of a group of Danites leaving their tribal territory and migrating north. When they stumbled upon Micah's house and saw the Levite, they offered him a chance to be a priest not just for one man, but "to a tribe and clan in Israel" (18:19). The Levite's "heart was glad" (18:20). Of course it was - we already knew what kind of man he was; this was just a discussion about the price.
The most shocking detail of all comes in 18:30, where we learn the identity of this priest for hire. It was none other than the grandson of Moses - Jonathan! How quickly a family can turn from conviction to compromise.
All of this happens under the refrain that appears several times at the end of Judges - "in those days there was no king in Israel" (18:1). Rather than submit to God as king and worship according to His rules, Micah made up his own religion. Rather than live in his own city, the Levite looked for greener pastures. Rather than remain in their ancestral home, the Danites looked for better land. In such an environment, with respect for the rule of God's law gone, the only rule is might - which is why muted protest is all Micah can do when the Danites carry off the god that he made.
What is your price? For what will you sell out? And what do you think you will gain?
"Will you sleep me with for one million dollars?"This joke is a not-so-funny commentary on human depravity. A sell-out is a sell-out; the price is just a quibble. And today's OT reading is a tragic illustration of this.
"Sure!" she replied.
"OK, what about a thousand dollars?"
"Just what kind of woman do you think I am?"
"Lady, we've already established that - now we're just figuring out the price!"
In Judges 17-18 a man in the hill country of Ephraim named Micah decides to create his own religion. He sets up shrine, complete with an idol and ephod (a priestly garment), and installed his own son as a priest. Some time later a Levite wandered into his house, and Micah offered to set him up as priest - offering a handsome salary and new wardrobe! The Levite accepted the offer, and became Micah's "house priest."
Having demonstrated he was for sale, the Levite was bound to find a better deal. And he did - the form of a group of Danites leaving their tribal territory and migrating north. When they stumbled upon Micah's house and saw the Levite, they offered him a chance to be a priest not just for one man, but "to a tribe and clan in Israel" (18:19). The Levite's "heart was glad" (18:20). Of course it was - we already knew what kind of man he was; this was just a discussion about the price.
The most shocking detail of all comes in 18:30, where we learn the identity of this priest for hire. It was none other than the grandson of Moses - Jonathan! How quickly a family can turn from conviction to compromise.
All of this happens under the refrain that appears several times at the end of Judges - "in those days there was no king in Israel" (18:1). Rather than submit to God as king and worship according to His rules, Micah made up his own religion. Rather than live in his own city, the Levite looked for greener pastures. Rather than remain in their ancestral home, the Danites looked for better land. In such an environment, with respect for the rule of God's law gone, the only rule is might - which is why muted protest is all Micah can do when the Danites carry off the god that he made.
What is your price? For what will you sell out? And what do you think you will gain?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Daily Bible Reading - April 14 - When I Am Weak Then I Am Strong
(My apologies for my month-long sabbatical from blogging!)
Today's OT portion is the story of Samson (Judges 12-16). His very name is synonymous with strength, yet the text makes it clear that Samson was beset by many serious weaknesses: lust, anger, and revenge, to name a few. In fact his story revolves around two women: his marriage to a Philistine woman from Timnah (Judges 14-15), and his dalliance with the Philistine temptress Delilah (Judges 16).
In the larger context of the book of Judges, Samson is the very personification of what the nation of Israel as a whole was like at this time. Judges 17:6 says that, "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." This is Samson's story in a nutshell. Judges 14:3 says that Samson wanted to marry the Philistine girl because "she is right in my eyes." What mattered to Samson was not God's will - all that mattered was what looked good to him.
Ironically, by pursuing a lifestyle based on what looked good in his eyes, Samson eventually lost his eyes when he was captured by the Philistines (16:21). And just as God allowed Israel to be sold into bondage for becoming indistinguishable from their pagan neighbors, God allowed Samson to be pressed into slavery after a life of reckless relationships with the Philistines.
It was in that very hour of weakness and blindness that Samson finally saw that God was the true source of strength. He prayed to God for help, and God enabled him to bring down the house of Dagon, killing more of the enemy in his death than he had in all his other exploits combined (16:30).
In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul stated a basic principle: "when I am weak, then I am strong." It is only when we are vulnerable and helpless that we are driven to rely on God's strength rather than our own. But since God's strength is so much more potent than our own, this is a good thing!
Of course very few of us suffer from the physical blindness that Samson suffered from. Ours is more like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who walked for a while with Jesus but did not initially recognize who He was. The great news is that Jesus opened their eyes, and He can open ours - to see who He is, to see how weak we really are, and to see what He can do through us.
Today's OT portion is the story of Samson (Judges 12-16). His very name is synonymous with strength, yet the text makes it clear that Samson was beset by many serious weaknesses: lust, anger, and revenge, to name a few. In fact his story revolves around two women: his marriage to a Philistine woman from Timnah (Judges 14-15), and his dalliance with the Philistine temptress Delilah (Judges 16).
In the larger context of the book of Judges, Samson is the very personification of what the nation of Israel as a whole was like at this time. Judges 17:6 says that, "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." This is Samson's story in a nutshell. Judges 14:3 says that Samson wanted to marry the Philistine girl because "she is right in my eyes." What mattered to Samson was not God's will - all that mattered was what looked good to him.
Ironically, by pursuing a lifestyle based on what looked good in his eyes, Samson eventually lost his eyes when he was captured by the Philistines (16:21). And just as God allowed Israel to be sold into bondage for becoming indistinguishable from their pagan neighbors, God allowed Samson to be pressed into slavery after a life of reckless relationships with the Philistines.
It was in that very hour of weakness and blindness that Samson finally saw that God was the true source of strength. He prayed to God for help, and God enabled him to bring down the house of Dagon, killing more of the enemy in his death than he had in all his other exploits combined (16:30).
In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul stated a basic principle: "when I am weak, then I am strong." It is only when we are vulnerable and helpless that we are driven to rely on God's strength rather than our own. But since God's strength is so much more potent than our own, this is a good thing!
Of course very few of us suffer from the physical blindness that Samson suffered from. Ours is more like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who walked for a while with Jesus but did not initially recognize who He was. The great news is that Jesus opened their eyes, and He can open ours - to see who He is, to see how weak we really are, and to see what He can do through us.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Daily Bible Reading - March 11 - The Rock of Quarreling
Today's reading includes one of the saddest stories in the Bible - Moses' failure at the Rock of Meribah (Numbers 20). Once more the people were grumbling because of the rigors of their journey (which they earned by believing the unfaithful spies). And once more God graciously provided the people with water. But something went horribly wrong-
1) Moses spoke harshly to the people. When the Lord told Moses to speak in 20:8, He told him to speak to the rock, not the people. Not only did Moses speak to the people, but he spoke harshly to them. I can certainly understand why he lost his cool with them. As the psalmist wrote later:
They angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke rashly with his lips. (Ps. 106:32-33)
2) Moses struck the rock instead of just speaking to it. Nowhere in God's instructions did He tell Moses to use his staff (unlike His instructions in Ex. 17:6). Moses was to tell the rock to yield its water, rather than to strike it, which would be an even greater display of God's power. But Moses acted in a way that obscured the power of God.
3) Moses acted with a "high hand." In 20:11 the text says "Moses lifted up his hand." This is the same language that is used in 15:30 to describe those who sin with a "high hand." The text may be implying that Moses acted with a presumptuous spirit in striking the rock twice rather than doing what God said.
As a result of this, Moses could not enter the Promised Land after leading the people so long and through so much tribulation. God takes His holiness seriously, and since Moses did not uphold God as holy before the people (20:12), he paid a heavy price.
Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them." (Num. 20:10-12)Just exactly what did Moses do wrong? The text indicates a couple of things-
1) Moses spoke harshly to the people. When the Lord told Moses to speak in 20:8, He told him to speak to the rock, not the people. Not only did Moses speak to the people, but he spoke harshly to them. I can certainly understand why he lost his cool with them. As the psalmist wrote later:
They angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke rashly with his lips. (Ps. 106:32-33)
2) Moses struck the rock instead of just speaking to it. Nowhere in God's instructions did He tell Moses to use his staff (unlike His instructions in Ex. 17:6). Moses was to tell the rock to yield its water, rather than to strike it, which would be an even greater display of God's power. But Moses acted in a way that obscured the power of God.
3) Moses acted with a "high hand." In 20:11 the text says "Moses lifted up his hand." This is the same language that is used in 15:30 to describe those who sin with a "high hand." The text may be implying that Moses acted with a presumptuous spirit in striking the rock twice rather than doing what God said.
As a result of this, Moses could not enter the Promised Land after leading the people so long and through so much tribulation. God takes His holiness seriously, and since Moses did not uphold God as holy before the people (20:12), he paid a heavy price.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Daily Bible Reading - March 10 - The Law Stated and Applied
The Book of Numbers is quite a mixture of forms of writing. It contains both legal texts as well as narratives. Today's reading (Numbers 15-18) is a good illustration of this diversity. Numbers 15:1-31 describes the sacrifice for unintentional sins; Numbers 15:32-36 narrates the story of the man gathering wood on the Sabbath; and Numbers 15:37-41 details the law about tassels on garments.
I don't know that you can always make a clear link between the legal sections and the narrative sections, but I think you can do so here in Numbers 15-16. The law for unintentional sins precluded an offering for presumptuous sin. That is followed by a story about intentional sin - the gathering of wood on the Sabbath, and the severe punishment that followed. Next comes the law about tassels, which of course were to remind the people to remember God's commandments and not follow their own vision of what is right - which sets the stage for the story of the rebellion of Korah and his cronies.
This pattern afforded Moses the opportunity not only to state the Law, but also to show the application of the Law. Further, it shows the extent to which God went to help the people to remember His Law. Objects like the tassels, or Aaron's rod that budded (Num. 17) were visual aids to remind the people to be obedient to His Law. Such clear commandments combined with visual reminders left the people with no excuse.
I don't know that you can always make a clear link between the legal sections and the narrative sections, but I think you can do so here in Numbers 15-16. The law for unintentional sins precluded an offering for presumptuous sin. That is followed by a story about intentional sin - the gathering of wood on the Sabbath, and the severe punishment that followed. Next comes the law about tassels, which of course were to remind the people to remember God's commandments and not follow their own vision of what is right - which sets the stage for the story of the rebellion of Korah and his cronies.
This pattern afforded Moses the opportunity not only to state the Law, but also to show the application of the Law. Further, it shows the extent to which God went to help the people to remember His Law. Objects like the tassels, or Aaron's rod that budded (Num. 17) were visual aids to remind the people to be obedient to His Law. Such clear commandments combined with visual reminders left the people with no excuse.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Daily Bible Reading - March 9 - Moses and Christ
Today's OT reading (Numbers 12-14) recounts the sad failure of the ten spies and the sentence of the wilderness wandering. These chapters are also about Moses' relationship with the people in general and his own family in particular. In Numbers 12, Aaron and Miriam (perhaps at her instigation?) complain against Moses, apparently driven by jealousy over Moses' unique status as God's special prophet. And in Numbers 14, the people railed against Moses and Aaron at the report of the unfaithful spies, and threatened to replace Moses with a new leader (by killing him! - 14:10) and return to Egypt.
To reject God's representatives is of course to reject God Himself, and the Lord was furious with Israel's disbelief and rebellion. So angry, in fact, that He threatened to wipe them out with pestilence and start over with Moses and the head of a new nation (14:11-12). But Moses interceded for the people, despite the way they treated him, and pleaded with God to spare the nation for the sake of His own name (14:13-19). God relented.
These chapters highlight the most Christ-like aspects of Moses' character. Consider these parallels-
Like Moses and Jesus, we must remain faithful to the Lord, even when those of our own family oppose us. And like Moses and Jesus, we should work toward the redemption of those who don't deserve it.
To reject God's representatives is of course to reject God Himself, and the Lord was furious with Israel's disbelief and rebellion. So angry, in fact, that He threatened to wipe them out with pestilence and start over with Moses and the head of a new nation (14:11-12). But Moses interceded for the people, despite the way they treated him, and pleaded with God to spare the nation for the sake of His own name (14:13-19). God relented.
These chapters highlight the most Christ-like aspects of Moses' character. Consider these parallels-
- Jesus was rejected by His own earthly family like Moses (Mark 3:21, 31-35).
- Jesus was silent in the face of His accusers, like Moses (see Num. 12:3; Mark 14:61).
- Jesus interceded for those who rejected Him (Luke 23:34).
Like Moses and Jesus, we must remain faithful to the Lord, even when those of our own family oppose us. And like Moses and Jesus, we should work toward the redemption of those who don't deserve it.
Daily Bible Reading - March 9 - The Trumpets of the Lord
While many kinds of musical instruments are mentioned in the Old Testament, from the time of Moses (1400 BC) until the time of David (1000 BC), the only instruments ordained by God for Israel's use in worship were the two silver trumpets described in today's reading (Numbers 10). According to the text, the trumpets had several uses:
And if you think about it, the last trumpet of God has the same purposes as those two silver trumpets. It will announce Jesus' coming - a time when God's people will assemble and "move out" to a new heavens and earth; when Jesus will defeat His enemies, especially the last enemy of death in the resurrection; and God's people will enter an eternal season of worship.
- To gather the camp together to move out (10:2-6)
- To summon the camp for an assembly (10:7)
- To sound the alarm for battle (10:8-9)
- To announce the beginning of worship (10:10)
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:15-18)
And if you think about it, the last trumpet of God has the same purposes as those two silver trumpets. It will announce Jesus' coming - a time when God's people will assemble and "move out" to a new heavens and earth; when Jesus will defeat His enemies, especially the last enemy of death in the resurrection; and God's people will enter an eternal season of worship.
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