Almost, but not quite
Judges 1: When Israel became stronger they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they never got rid of them.
The failure of the army of Israel to purge the land of the Canaanites is mentioned in the Book of Joshua but becomes a major factor as I turn the page and begin reading the Book of Judges. Clearly, the army of Joshua has experienced unprecedented success. They arrive as underdogs in a new land occupied by fierce and evil people who have superior weapons and fortified cities. This is the home of the warrior-giants of the Bible. In spite of all that these children of ex-slaves cross the Jordan and win victory after victory to become the dominant force in the land. All in all, what they accomplish is quite impressive. Itās just too bad that they donāt do what the Lord told them to do and press on to complete victory. The book of Judges tells the story of the result of that failure. This is far from being anyoneās favorite book of the Bible. It is, though, a book in which the grace of God shines forth against the black background of so much spiritual failure.
Take Away: āTrust and obey, for thereās no other way.ā
Tag: failure
Devotional on Judges
So howās that āignoring Godā thing working out for you?
Judges 10: They just walked off and left God, quit worshiping him.
It’s been over 60 years since Gideon died. We have short paragraphs mentioning two other leaders who have judged Israel and now, once again, the wheels have fallen off. The word picture is graphic. “They just walked off.” This was definitely one of those, “If God seems far away, who moved?” scenarios. The people arenāt kidnapped and carried away from God. They don’t accidentally wander off. Instead, we see them pull the plug, deciding that theyāre no longer going to worship the One who has been so faithful to them. However, thatās not the most sobering part of this story. You see, God doesn’t chase after them. When they come to him in their distress, he replies, “I’m not saving you anymore. Go ahead! Cry out for help to the gods you’ve chosen over me.” Itās when they repent that the Lord reconnects with their lives. God always honors our free will. He doesnāt force us to serve him and heāll allow us to face the consequences of our choices. The good news here is that he remains true to his character. While he wonāt force us to live our lives in a relationship with him, heās always ready to forgive and welcome us back into that relationship.
Take Away: Weāll either live in a relationship with the Lord of our own free will or we wonāt live in a relationship with him at all…
Devotional on Judges
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Judges 16: Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me, dear, the secret of your great strength.”
Samson is a one-man army. Other Israelite liberators inspire people to follow them and rally armies to action. Samson does it all by himself. Itās just Samson and God. Well, really itās just God. Samson’s unshaved head is the symbol of his connection to God and cutting his hair will break that relationship. Subtract God from his life and Samson is a zero. When Samson stupidly tells Delilah his story he breaks that relationship with God. Soon, the wheels come off and all is lost. Iām tempted to say, “Without his hair Samsonās just an ordinary man.” Actually, though, itās, “Without his God, Samsonās just an ordinary man.” Subtract the unique features of this story and weāre left with the truth Jesus stated in John 15:5: āapart from me you can do nothing.ā
Take Away: Every good thing I accomplish is because of the Lordās presence in my life.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
Making the most of what God has given
1 Samuel 2: Iāll establish for myself a true priest. Heāll do what I want him to do, and be what I want him to be.
The priest Eli is an interesting person in the story of Samuel. He presides over the worship activities at Shiloh but is a deeply flawed individual. He has some spiritual insights, but wonāt control his own sons who make a mockery of spiritual things. At the same time, heās entrusted with the young Samuel who’ll usher in a new day in Israelās relationship with God. I want to cut him some slack because he lives in these days of transition but itās plain that the Lord holds him accountable for his failure. I donāt have to judge him because the Lord already has. Eli is, I think, a person who has great potential thatās never realized. He has position, insight, and opportunity to make a real impact for God. Instead, he shows only occasional flashes of that and is ultimately told by the Lord that he and his family will be replaced by someone more worthy. Frankly, I think one reason I want to go easy on Eli is that I fear my life also sometimes fails to measure up. God has been good to me and blessed me in many ways. I donāt want to someday look back and see years of wasted opportunity.
Take Away: Make the most of opportunities the Lord gives you.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
Self-sabotage
1 Samuel 9: He had a son, Saul, a most handsome young man…he literally stood head and shoulders above the crowd!
Since I know where this storyās headed I tend to brush past the way the Bible introduces Saul. Hereās a good man. In spite of his physical domination and naturally handsome good looks heās humble. We meet him taking care of his fatherās business, looking for some lost donkeys, but also concerned that his father might be worried about him. When itās suggested that he visit the man of God, Samuel, and ask for help in locating the animals, he goes with offering in hand. When I read this introduction to Saul Iām impressed with him. He has the potential of being a terrific leader of Israel whoāll guide the people to a close, faithful walk with the Lord. As I begin reading the story of Saul I find no reason to expect failure on his part. Instead, everythingās in place for success at every level of his life. In choosing him, the Lord isnāt setting him up for failure. Instead, Saulās being set up for success. Thatās true, too, I think, in the lives of followers of Jesus. No one is saved to ultimately fail. In fact, success is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus. The only way my spiritual journey can end badly is if I sabotage it myself. Sorry to say weāre about to see an illustration of that from this capable young man.
Take Away: The Lord gives us everything we need to live for him and then live with him in eternity.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
The bigger they come…
1 Samuel 13: God is out looking for your replacement right now.
On the surface, Saul’s failure seems minor. All heās doing is offering his own sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel to do it for him. Beneath that, though, is a fault line that means catastrophe. Any king of Israel must rule only as a servant of God. Things are to be done God’s way. From the beginning of Saul’s story his position has been clearly defined. Samuel is the man chosen by God to provide spiritual leadership and that includes making ritual sacrifices. Saul has crossed that line, claiming authority thatās not his. Because of that God is rejecting him as king. Since he doesnāt accept God’s way of doing things another king will be found. I need to remember here that Saul isn’t making a mistake in this incident. Rather, heās acting with full knowledge of what heās doing. Simply put, heās pushing God’s will to the side and taking what he thinks is a better course of action. While itās true that God is testing him with the circumstance of Samuel’s late arrival itās also true that he miserably fails the test. The Lord seeks another king because Saul, by his own decision, makes himself unworthy to be king. As I apply this to my life, I see that I must never forget that he is Lord. I’m not free to do whatever I want to do. While I know God is gracious and merciful, I also know that, in my own free will, I can push God too far. It doesnāt have to be that way, but I know that it remains a tragic possibility.
Take Away: If Iām to be Godās man I have to do things Godās way. Heāll have it no other way.
Devotional on 1 Samuel
Fear-generated failure
1 Samuel 22: I’m to blame for the death of everyone in your father’s family.
When David flees for his life from Saul he stops at Nob, the place of worship. In his desperation David tells a lie to Ahitub, the priest there, telling him heās on a mission for the king. He asks for provisions and a weapon. Since David is highly respected the priest gives him holy bread to eat and the prized sword of Goliath that is stored there. As David is leaving he sees one of Saul’s men, Doeg the Edomite, who’s also at Nob and has seen what’s happened. However, David’s so afraid for his own life that he hurries on, escaping from Saul. Now we see the consequences of David’s dishonesty and failure to consider the danger in which he placed Ahitub and all those in Nob. Saul’s man, Doeg, reports the incident and Saul takes revenge on all those at Nob: men, women, children, and even the livestock. All are killed except the son of the priest, Ahimelech, who escapes to join David. When he hears whatās happened David says, “I’m to blame.” This is more than a gracious admission; itās the terrible truth. In his fear David thought only of himself and in doing so, brought destruction to many innocent people. Fear is an awful thing. It causes us to shrink our world to only ourselves. Fear loses sight of God and causes us to ignore the consequences of our words and deeds. David’s admission and his taking Ahimelech in and under his protection is commendable, but it doesn’t undo the damage that was done in his fear-generated failure.
Take Away: Trust is the remedy for fear.
Devotional on 2 Samuel
Murder most foul
2 Samuel 11: War kills — sometimes one, sometimes another.
David’s failure in 2 Samuel 11 is stunning. There are no excuses, no contributing circumstances that in any way lessen his failure. When Saul takes it upon himself to play the role of priest rather than wait on Samuel itās a horrible failure, but itās no greater than the one I read about here. David, King of Israel sees a woman taking a bath and wants her. Abusing his authority as king he sends for her and then has sexual relations with her. When she later discovers that sheās pregnant, he sends for her husband in hopes of covering up his sin. The only things we know about Uriah are what we find in this story but itās clear that heās an honorable man and a loyal soldier. Failing in his plan, David sends a note to his general, Joab (a note carried by Uriah, himself) thatās actually a death sentence. When David receives word of Uriah’s death, he shrugs it off with “war kills.” In this case it isn’t war that kills. Itās David. In the words of Agatha Christie, this is “murder most foul.” Davidās a great man, a real hero, and a key figure in God’s plan for the world. Still, the writers of Scripture do not avoid the issue here. They tell us the whole ugly story. Still, what happens, as unsavory as it is, isnāt beyond the grace of God. I’m glad the story doesn’t end here.
Take Away: The Lord canāt deal with our sin until we admit we have sinned and repent of it.
Devotional on 2 Samuel
I wonder if Nathan checked his life insurance policy first
2 Samuel 12: You’re the man!
Itās through the prophet Nathan that God responds to David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her righteous husband, Uriah. We don’t know much about Nathan, but he carries on in the spirit of his predecessor, Samuel. In Nathan we see the same boldness we saw in Samuel when he stood up to Saul. A few pages back, when David wants to build a Temple, its Nathan who first agrees but then returns with the disappointing news that God doesn’t want David to build a Temple. Now, when David has fallen in sin, itās Nathan who takes his life in his hands and confronts the king with what heās done. The prophet is pretty smart in his approach. He comes to David with a made-up scenario about a farmer and a lamb. When David reacts with righteous indignation over what he thinks has happened Nathan responds with the famous words, “You’re the man!” David, who could have any available woman in Israel (itās acceptable in this society for him to have multiple wives), instead wanted another man’s wife. David, whoās bravely fought God’s enemies all his life, has used God’s enemies to do his dirty work for him. Itās Nathan who stands up to David. It’s nice to be God’s spokesman and tell people about the story of God’s love for us, preaching sermons from John 3:16. However, thereās a place for confrontation too. Weād just better be sure itās God whoās sending us with that strong message.
Take Away: No one is big enough, so valuable to Godās Kingdom, that they can get away with sin.
Devotional on 2 Samuel
The reach of sin
2 Samuel 13: Kill him…and don’t be afraid.
When Nathan the prophet confronts David with his sin he not only tells him that the child of his illicit relationship with Bathsheba will die, but that there will be killing and murder in his family. This story about his daughter Tamar and sons Ammon and Absalom illustrates the truth of this statement by Nathan. It’s pretty ugly stuff. Ammon is in love with his half-sister Tamar. His first cousin Jonadab tells him to get her alone and force himself on her. Ammon takes Jonadab’s advice and ends up raping Tamar. When David hears whatās happened, heās outraged, but does nothing about it. Could it be that his memory of his own relationship with Bathsheba stops him from acting? Technically, he didn’t rape Bathsheba, but when he sent for her on that terrible day, he did so with all the authority of the throne. She really couldn’t say “no” to the king. Beyond that, what David did went public. His family, including Ammon, knew all about it. Surely, knowing that his father took another man’s wife when he wanted her influenced his thinking in this. So Ammon rapes Tamar. When David fails to act, her full brother, Absalom decides to take matters into his own hands. He murders Ammon. Clearly, this isnāt a pretty story. No one in this incident except the victim is portrayed in a positive manner. David has repented of his sin and been forgiven by the Lord, but there are still consequences to his failure. This isn’t God punishing David by encouraging rape and murder in his family. Instead, itās the outflow of David’s willful actions. Our actions have consequences, some reaching farther and into places weād never imagine.
Take Away: Donāt underestimate your influence ā for good or for bad.
Devotional on 2 Samuel
They told me men shouldnāt have long hair
2 Samuel 19: O my son Absalom, Absalom my dear, dear son!
The battle between those loyal to Absalom and those loyal to David is a fierce one, but itās apparent that David’s forces are winning. Twenty thousand soldiers fall that day in bloody one-on-one fighting in the most tragic kind of war: brother against brother. Absalom flees but in an ironic twist of fate, itās his hair, apparently his most prized feature, which brings about his downfall. As his mule gallops under a tree his hair is entangled in the branches. He hangs there, helpless before his enemies. Knowing that David has forbidden the killing of his son, some are afraid to act, but one of his generals, Joab, kills him and then others join in making sure he is dead. When word comes to David his heart is broken and he mourns the death of his son. To Joab and maybe to us this is downright silly. Absalom murdered his brother, tried to take his father’s throne and life, and is responsible for the deaths of twenty thousand good men. Still, David is deeply saddened by the failure of his son — possibly thinking of what might have been. I think David’s response to Absalom’s death is a reflection of our Heavenly Father’s sadness over the wasted lives of those who live in rebellion against him. He mourns the spiritual failure of those who have followed Absalom’s example to tragic ruin.
Take Away: The Lord wants all people to be saved ā and, actually, itās not as though any of us deserves to be saved, itās all by his love and grace.
Devotional on 1 Kings
Woman trouble
1Kings 11: King Solomon was obsessed with women.
Itās too bad that Solomon’s story can’t end with chapter 10. That whole chapter is about his achievements and fame. I read it and can’t help but be impressed by all he does. Then, I turn the page and hereās “King Solomon was obsessed with women.” Even as heās over the top in his achievements heās also over the top with his obsession. He collects women in the same way he collected wealth and fame. This will lead to his downfall. The Bible is always up front with us when it comes to the failures of its heroes, and thatās the case here. Even as I read of Solomonās making silver as common as rocks in Israel, I read that he sins against God by marrying women from the surrounding pagan nations and allowing them to influence him away from God. His willingness to be “unequally yoked” brings about his great failure. No doubt infatuation with the opposite sex has been the downfall of many throughout history but the larger issue here is that God requires my first allegiance. Anything that comes between God and me becomes my god. To obsess over anything is to deny his Lordship in my life.
Take Away: Weāre never too smart or successful or, yes, even too wise to mess up. The key is to live close to the Lord and follow his directions for living.
Devotional on 1 Kings
Close only counts in horseshoes
1Kings 11: Solomon faithlessly disobeyed God’s orders.
Solomon has accomplished much in God’s name. Heās built the lavish Temple, made Israel a world force, and stabilized the nation. Heās amassed knowledge and written proverbs filled with good common sense. But, because of his lack of self-control in relation to the opposite sex he becomes a miserable failure before God. My society seems to think God keeps a sort of balance sheet on our lives. Therefore, the goal is to do more good things than bad things. If a person attains that goal, theyāll make it to heaven. Solomon’s story teaches us better. His failure isn’t that he destroys the Temple or begins writing bad proverbs. Instead, itās that he disobeys God. One act of disobedience destroys a lifetime of obedience. We all stand in need of God’s grace, and if we make it to heaven it will be because of that grace. Still, God requires obedience. A lifetime of accomplishment can’t atone for even one act of disobedience.
Take Away: Itās worth repeating: a lifetime of accomplishment canāt atone for even one act of disobedience.
Devotional on 1 Kings
Obedience is required
1Kings 11: He hasn’t lived the way I have shown him, hasn’t done what I have wanted, and hasn’t followed directions or obeyed orders….
This epitaph of Solomon’s life gives me insight into what it is that God wants. He wants me to live as heās shown me to live, to do what he wants me to do, and to follow his directions and obey his commands. If I build impressive church structures and amass great wealth yet fail at these key points God will not only be disappointed in me, heāll take action against me. Sometimes we act as though all this “obey God” business is kind of theoretical; not literal, but something that happens only in an ideal world. We really think that we can pretty much do what we want and tip our hat to God once in a while and heāll be satisfied with that. In this passage I see that no matter how much I do in the Name of the Lord I never get beyond the requirement of simply living the way he has shown me to live. If I ignore that, then all the “Temples” I might build are meaningless in his eyes.
Take Away: If we think weāre so valuable to the Lord that we donāt have to obey him ā well, weād better think again.
Devotional on 2 Kings
A trophy of grace
2Kings 13: He never gave up on them, never even considered discarding them.
In spite of God’s patience and blessings and in spite of the difficulties the nation faces, Israel continues down a destructive path. When things are terrible they temporarily turn to God but before long theyāre back in the old God-ignoring rut. Their future could have been bright, but thatās not how things are going to turn out. I know what happens over at the end of 2Chronicles when the twin kingdoms come to their official end. Then again, I know what happens on the next page after that where I see God’s faithfulness through the priest, Ezra. In fact, looking into their future as I can by simply turning the pages of my Bible Iām taken by the truth of this statement: “He never gave up on them.” Oh, the grace of God who clearly sees our failure yet declares, “I won’t even consider discarding you.” Iām a trophy of such grace. And so are you.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chancesā¦and thirdā¦and fourthā¦andā¦.
Devotional on 2 Kings
The nation that ignores God
2Kings 17: They lived a “nothing” life and became “nothings.”
The 17th chapter of Second Kings is the epitaph of the Kingdom of Israel. After centuries of ups and mostly downs they exhaust the patience of God. The Lord hands them over to their enemies and the citizens are removed from their beloved land to live in exile the rest of their days. God’s verdict is clearly stated: “the exile came about because of sin…they had accumulated a long list of evil actions and God was fed up…God said, ‘Don’t!’ but they did it anyway.” For decades it has appeared that they can brush God Jehovah off and do things their own way. Theyāve behaved as though his Commandments are mere suggestions that donāt really apply. Traveling that road has brought them to its only possible destination and now theyāve arrived: “they lived a ‘nothing’ life and became ‘nothings.'” What happens to a nation thatās been abundantly blessed by God but persistently chooses to ignore him and his ways? This chapter ought to really frighten us.
Take Away: The future is dim for a nation that ignores the Lord and his blessings.
Devotional on 2 Kings
Guilty as charged
2Kings 17: In the end, God spoke a final No to Israel and turned his back on them.
Second Kings 17 is a long chapter that burdens the reader with a heavier and heavier weight of despair and condemnation as its read. These are painful words: “God was fed up” – “God had had enough,” – “God spoke a final āNoā.” Thereās the feeling of hearing a guilty verdict read in a courtroom. The evidence for conviction is overwhelming and the conclusion is obvious. God’s only choice is to turn his back and to declare “no” to them and their sin as theyāve declared ānoā to him. Reading this chapter not only condemns the people of ancient Israel and justifies God in his abandonment of them, but it also frightens me. How far can a nation push God? How many of his blessings can it forget? How many of his Laws can it break before the Almighty is fed up? My nation is foolishly testing the patience of God right now. Second Kings 17 is not before us as just some dusty old history lesson. It’s a warning that we’d better heed.
Take Away: If we say ānoā often enough, the Lord will take us at our word.
Devotional on 1 Chronicles
Family skeletons
1 Chronicles 7: Ezer and Elead [were] cattle-rustlers, killed on one of their raids.
The accounting of Ephraimās family tree unearths the gem that some of the family were cattle-rustlers. Things got so bad that the natives of Gath caught them and killed them. Their dad was deeply grieved by their deaths and, when a baby was born to the family he named him āUnluckyā to reflect how he felt about things. The story is just thrown in with the continued listing of who was the father of whom, but it does spark the imagination a bit and it feels like weāre hearing about the old American west rather than about life centuries before Christ. I wonder how the original readers reacted to this bit of information. Did they hang their heads in shame or did they sheepishly grin at one another? I think thereās room for both reactions. Itās that way for us too. We canāt escape our connection to family. Sometimes weāre quite pleased with it and other times, well, not so much. At one level, Iām reminded that Iām not above the ups and downs, successes and failures of life. At another level, I donāt need to take myself too seriously. At least, so far as I know, I donāt have any ancestors named āUnlucky.ā Iām not as sure about the cattle-rustling though.
Take Away: Donāt take life too seriously ā sometimes itās best to smile and move on.
Devotional on 1 Chronicles
Starting at the end
1 Chronicles 10: Saul died in disobedience.
When we first read the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel we get the full treatment, so we know all about how he was anointed and how his rejection of God unraveled his kingship and his life in general. Here, we start at the end of his life. The writer seems to be in a hurry to get to King David and I think I know why. This book is being written to remind the people of Israel where they came from and who they are. The desire is to reignite their connection to one another and to God. Saul could have been the first and greatest king of Israel, but he failed, dying not in glory, but in disobedience. Later on, weāll work through the failures that led to the exile, but here in the early going the idea is to inspire and ignite enthusiasm. Sad to say, Saulās story might be good for warning people of pending failure but it wonāt do much to unite and give a sense of pride. Thereās a time to focus on such things. After all, spiritual failure is a real possibility. For now, though, the writer just wants to set up the story of David and give his readers something to cheer about. Know what? Thatās okay with me too!
Take Away: While we know all about spiritual failure itās good to be reminded of the very real possibility of spiritual success too.
Devotional on 2 Chronicles
Visiting the graveyard, looking at tombstones
2 Chronicles 12: God was not important to him.
Hereās a story of the man who, because of pure stubbornness, split Israel into two Kingdoms. Under his grandfather, David (a man after Godās own heart), Israel became a united and successful nation. Under his father, Solomon (a man who asked God for wisdom), great things were accomplished and prosperity came to the land. Under Rehoboam (a man who thinks God is unimportant) there is civil war, invasion from Egypt, and spiritual decline. As his obituary is written this phrase stands out: āGod was not important to him.ā Such a charge states volumes. In fact, when the final story of any life is told, how a person responded to God is the most important fact about them. It remains true today. How I respond to God matters and honestly, God wonāt be ignored. In every life, God has the last word.
Take Away: What will be the Lordās last word on my life?