Judges 12:4
“Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim. . . “
During the time of the Judges, the nation of Israel was in peril; they had unprotected borders, faced attack from their neighbors, and had constant warfare from within, due to the nations they had failed to drive out of the land. At a time when the people should be joining together to deal with a common enemy, the tribes began to fight all the wrong battles. The enemies of Israel must have been so pleased when they heard that Ephraim and Jephthah had gone to battle against one another, instead of joining forces to deal with the real issues facing the nation.
Sadly, this is not an isolated event. The people of God are under constant temptation to spend their energies fighting all the wrong battles. Certainly there is a need for doctrinal purity within the church, and it is important to warn God’s people regarding false teaching. However, many Christians tend to spend all their time emphasizing what is wrong with every other church, movement, or pastor, while neglecting the real battle of bringing the gospel to the world. I have known Christians who never miss a Sunday, would pass a theology class with flying colors, could debate doctrine with seminary professors, but who have not brought an unbeliever to church with them in years.
We need to be careful that as we grow in our understanding of the Word of God, we use our weapons wisely.
Pastor Jim
As commander of the armies of Israel, Jephthah is leading his soldiers into a heated battle against the people of Ammon. As the battle approaches, we find Jephthah crying out to God for assistance. It is a good thing to pray, but we find his prayer is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of God. Jephthah thinks he has to barter for the favor of God. “If You will help me I will give you…”
The scene in Acts 21 might best be described as a riot. The people of the city had lost all sense of the Temple worship, and had become a violent mob determined to put Paul to death. Their rage escalated to the point where the Roman soldiers had to almost beat them back, in order to pull Paul out of their clutches. We read, when they reached the stairs (the way of escape) Paul could no longer walk on his own, but had to be carried by the soldiers. It seems that even after the arrival of the soldiers, the crowd was still taking shots at Paul.
It is common for people to show no interest in God until calamities arises. As long as life is going their way, they are not concerned with God, but as soon as things get difficult, suddenly, they cry to God for help. Those who have shown no interest in the ways of God, suddenly blame God for the calamity they are facing, and cry out to Him to fix everything.
When reading the Bible, we should always look for application to our personal lives. In some texts, the truths to apply are very straight forward, others, are a little more difficult to find. This passage tells the story of a young man, Eutychus by name, who nods off during a Bible study and ends up dead. I think the passage is a warning of more than the need to stay awake at church. Eutychus’ fall is a perfect illustration of the way sin works.
God is selecting a team for a specific task. They will be led into hand-to-hand combat against a Midianite army too vast to number. As the people gather for the selection process, the first cut is made. Twenty-two thousand men are sent packing for one simple reason – fear! Gideon may have asked for a show of hands, or for those who were afraid, to take a step backwards. Whatever the case, his army was immediately reduced by 70% and the reason for their departure was fear. They were afraid to be a part of the work of God.
Ephesus was a very large city with a diverse population. It is estimated, at the time of Paul’s visit, there may have been in excess of 400,000 people living in the city. Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor, and one of the largest in the empire. Because of its location, on a trade route, the city was very wealthy; it had become an important center for commerce. Like any large wealthy city, Ephesus had its share of vice. One of the greatest was temple prostitution. Overlooking the city, was the Temple to Diana; which was an awe-inspiring site. It drew pilgrims from all over the world to come and worship. The worship practice included sexual immorality.
Gideon voices a sentiment vey common among believers today. He looked at the conditions of his world and began to wonder where were all the miracles. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, why was he not seeing great and miraculous changes happening in his lifetime? I find it very interesting how the Lord responds to Gideon’s accusations.
After defeating the enemies of Israel, Deborah and Barak led the people in a song celebrating the Lord’s victory. This song gives insight into how things are accomplished within the Kingdom of God. It is clear, it was a work of God. We read, “The Lord went out from Seir, . . .” It is also clear, the works of God are accomplished when people are willing to step out in the service of God. The key to Israel’s victory was leaders who led, and people who willingly offered themselves. We know Barak was a bit reluctant to lead; he would not go unless Deborah joined him. None the less, he went. As these two stepped out in faith, countless others rose to the challenge, devoting themselves to the service of the Lord.
Paul and his companions had been traveling from city to city and town to town; sharing the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches. They spent relatively short periods of time in each of these places until Corinth; we read, Paul remained there for a year and six months. Corinth did not seem to be one of the easier places for ministry. Scripture tells us the Jews were hardened to the Gospel. Paul and his companions faced persecution in the form of threats, arrest, and beatings. Later we read, even the gentiles who responded to the Gospel were very carnal; and Paul had to use cunning to ensure that they learned to trust Christ and not men. Yet, with all this, we read that Paul remained a year and six months pastoring this young and growing flock. What were the things that enabled him to remain, while facing such difficulty?
Jim Gallagher 