Follow the Leader. Judges 9-10; John 10

May the mumbling commence!

Sometimes, we need to pull back from our lives together so that we can see the broad patterns.  Those broad patterns could either lead us closer and closer to God or further or further away.  So, it is essential to be aware of these patterns.  If we are aware of these patterns, then we can have some awareness in choosing our path rightly.

So, how broad are the strokes on these patterns?  How far reaching must our sight be?  We are not just talking about a few years or even a few decades.  We are talking about a generation of time.  Read from Judges chapter ten:

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight. They worshiped images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. Not only this, but they abandoned the Lord and no longer served him at all.  So the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites, who began to oppress them that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites (that is, in Gilead).  The Ammonites also crossed to the west side of the Jordan and attacked Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. The Israelites were in great distress.  Finally, they cried out to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal." 

The Lord replied, "Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me, and I rescued you.  Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore.  Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!" 

But the Israelites pleaded with the Lord and said, "We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies."  Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery. 

At that time the armies of Ammon had gathered for war and were camped in Gilead, preparing to attack Israel's army at Mizpah.  The leaders of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever attacks the Ammonites first will become ruler over all the people of Gilead."  (Verses 6-18)

Again it happened.  Again – that’s the word of patterns.  Israel totally abandoned the Lord.  They worshiped other gods.  These false gods could not help them, so they suffered.

They no longer knew the Lord as their King.  But their suffering led them back to God.  They wanted out of an extremely uncomfortable position.  Although hindsight is 20/20, as soon as comfort is restored, myopic patterns return again.

Our misery grieves the Lord.  There is no doubt.  Our God reaches out to help us again and again.  That too is a part of the pattern.

But then we reach out to the person who God used to free us from our uncomfortable position.  That person we want to make ruler, king, president.  We lose sight of the Lord.  Second verse same as the first.

O God, help us to always remember that You alone are our Lord.  Help us to recognize Your voice.  Read from John chapter ten:

It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah.  He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade.  The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 

Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is what I do in the name of my Father.  But you don't believe me because you are not part of my flock.  My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me.  The Father and I are one." (Verses 22-30)

May we recognize both Your actions and Your voice so that we may follow the Leader – Jesus the Christ.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

Open Us to New Learning! Judges 7-8; John 9

May the mumbling commence!

Isn’t it amazing how you and I can say the most profound things and then turn around and do some particularly boneheaded things?  Gideon from the book of Judges is not different.  Read from Judges chapter eight:

Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian." 

But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!  However, I have one request. Each of you can give me an earring out of the treasures you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.) 

"Gladly!" they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered.  The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the crescents and pendants, the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the necks of their camels.  Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. (Verses 22-27)

Gideon rightly pointed Israel to the fact that the Lord is King – the Lord alone.  What a profound statement!  Israel would not live the way of the world.  They would live the way of God.

That being said, Gideon then proceeded to ask for gold to make an ephod with.  And that ephod became a trap for Israel and for Gideon’s family.  Such profound truth and wisdom comes from the same mouth that ordered the golden ephod to be made.  There was an idol in their midst – something that got between them and the Lord.  What a tragedy!

And time does not make us any more perceptive.  Read from John chapter nine:

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 

The man answered, "Who is he, sir, because I would like to." 

"You have seen him," Jesus said, "and he is speaking to you!" 

"Yes, Lord," the man said, "I believe!" And he worshiped Jesus. 

Then Jesus told him, "I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind." 

The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, "Are you saying we are blind?" 

"If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.” (Verses 35-41)

While we claim to see and to know the Lord, we actually have a distorted – at best – view of the Lord.  Help us, O Lord, to be open to learning about You anew each day.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

The Lord is Peace; Judges 2-6

May the mumbling commence!

When the fear melts away, we finally begin to understand that the Lord is peace.  Wholeness can only be obtained from the Lord.  Let’s make that journey together – the journey to wholeness and peace.  Read from Judges chapter six:

Gideon replied, "If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.  Don't go away until I come back and bring my offering to you."

The Lord answered, "I will stay here until you return." 

Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with half a bushel of flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to the angel, who was under the oak tree. 

The angel of God said to him, "Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock, and pour the broth over it." And Gideon did as he was told.  Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, "Sovereign Lord, I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!" 

"It is all right," the Lord replied. "Do not be afraid. You will not die."  And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it "The Lord Is Peace." The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day. (Verses 17-24)

Even in the midst of our trouble and strife, the Lord is Peace.  Our times may perplex us.  God may intimidate us.

But it is alright.  Leave fear behind.  Life is found in God.  Peace is found in God.  Wholeness is found in our Creator.

Let us rest in that life, in that peace, in that wholeness of the Lord.

Lead the way, O Lord.  And we shall follow.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Destroying Our Idols. Joshua 24 (Judges 1); John 8

May the mumbling commence!

Get rid of all your idols.  Choose the Lord your God.  Serve the Lord your God.  It was the words that Joshua spoke after reminding the Israelite people of the faithfulness of their God.  Read these words from Joshua chapter twenty-four:

"So honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.  But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." 

The people replied, "We would never forsake the Lord and worship other gods.  For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us.  It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God." 

Then Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and sins.  If you forsake the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you." 

But the people answered Joshua, saying, "No, we are determined to serve the Lord!" 

"You are accountable for this decision," Joshua said. "You have chosen to serve the Lord."

"Yes," they replied, "we are accountable." 

"All right then," Joshua said, "destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." 

The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone." (Verses 14-24)

We have a choice to make.  It’s not a choice to take without care.  There is no place to sit on this fence.  It’s all or nothing.  Serve the Lord or serve someone or something else.  

Are you and I ready?  We will be held accountable by the Lord.  It means destroying all the idols among us.

Exactly how do we destroy our idols?  How do we destroy the idols of money, wealth, prestige, fame, and knowledge?  It is with these idols that we contend.  How do we destroy the idol of our various drives like our sex drives and our appetites for other things like food and drink?

Our idols are tricky.  We need these things to survive…  How do we perhaps get rid of the power that they have over us – the way they weasel their way between us and God?  If we can be wise enough to tell our need from our greed, will that be enough?  

The temptation will always be there.  That’s why we take the step to serving our Lord with trembling and fear.  We need God’s help in this journey.  We need each other in this journey… to make accountability more tangible.  

Otherwise, we will use the sin of others to try and cover up our own sin.  Like the men who brought the woman caught in adultery.  Read from John chapter eight:

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.  As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 

"Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the very act of adultery.  The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" 

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.  They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!"  Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 

Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" 

"No, Lord," she said.

And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more." (Verses 1-11)

Jesus wrote in the sand.  What did Jesus write or draw?  We don’t know, but it’s fun to guess.  

Could it be that he quoted from the Scriptures that both the man and woman caught in adultery must be stoned?  Could it be that he quoted from the Scripture that only the man was to be stoned if the act happened in an uninhabited area?  Could it be that he reminded each man of his sin?  Could it be that he wrote the name of the man among them that was a part of the adultery?  

Let us be careful with our idolatry toward sex and how it degrades people. 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

One in Christ. Joshua 22-23; John 7

May the mumbling commence!

It’s hard to maintain long-distance relationships.  Maintaining them takes lots of work… lots of communication to avoid a breakdown of understanding.  Read an extended passage from Joshua chapter twenty-two when the Eastern tribes were returning to their allotted land:

When they arrived in the land of Gilead, they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, "The whole community of the Lord demands to know why you are betraying the God of Israel. How could you turn away from the Lord and build an altar in rebellion against him?  Was our sin at Peor not enough? We are not yet fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire assembly of the Lord.  And yet today you are turning away from following the Lord. If you rebel against the Lord today, he will be angry with all of us tomorrow.  If you need the altar because your land is defiled, then join us on our side of the river, where the Lord lives among us in his Tabernacle, and we will share our land with you. But do not rebel against the Lord or draw us into your rebellion by building another altar for yourselves. There is only one true altar of the Lord our God.  Didn't God punish all the people of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for the Lord? He was not the only one who died because of that sin." 

Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered these high officials:  "The Lord alone is God! The Lord alone is God! We have not built the altar in rebellion against the Lord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day. But the Lord knows, and let all Israel know, too, that we have not built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the Lord. Nor will we use it for our burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings. If we have built it for this purpose, may the Lord himself punish us. 

We have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, 'What right do you have to worship the Lord, the God of Israel?  The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and your people. You have no claim to the Lord.' And your descendants may make our descendants stop worshiping the Lord.  So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt sacrifices, but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no claim to the Lord.'  If they say this, our descendants can reply, 'Look at this copy of the Lord's altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the Lord.'   Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose." 

When Phinehas the priest and the high officials heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.  Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, "Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not sinned against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the Lord." (Verses 15-31)

Sometimes what we first thought was an unbridgeable gap between us is actually a manifestation of our unity.  Israel was ready to kill their brothers over what they saw as wandering from the Word of the Lord.  They knew what the wandering of a few would cause for everyone.  

Thank God that they took the time to talk before the fought.  The altar that was built was only a memorial to remind future generations the connection between the peoples on either side of the river.  We are brothers!  The Lord, indeed, would have been displeased with unneeded death between brothers.  

The explanation saved Israel from being destroyed through misunderstanding.  Praise God!  Indeed, it is not only physical distance that drives a wedge between people.  Sometimes the wedge is formed by perceived knowledge or socio-economic status.  Read from John chapter seven:

The Temple guards who had been sent to arrest him returned to the leading priests and Pharisees. "Why didn't you bring him in?" they demanded. 

"We have never heard anyone talk like this!" the guards responded. 

"Have you been led astray, too?" the Pharisees mocked.  "Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him?  These ignorant crowds do, but what do they know about it? A curse on them anyway!" 

Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, then spoke up.  "Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?" he asked. 

They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself – no prophet ever comes from Galilee!" (Verses 45-52)

There were the Pharisees and the ignorant crowds and the bumbling Temple guards and the Galileans.  The Pharisees knew everything… the rest of them were know-nothings.  

May we never allow geography or perceived knowledge drive a wedge between us.  We are one in Christ.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

Who Do You Run To? Joshua 20-21; John 6

May the mumbling commence!

When tragedy strikes, where do we have to run?  The Lord commanded Israel to set aside cities of refuge.  These cities of refuge were to be places to run to when the greatest of tragedies happened – an accidental slaying.  Read Joshua chapter twenty:

The Lord said to Joshua, "Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses.  Anyone who kills another person unintentionally can run to one of these cities and be protected from the relatives of the one who was killed, for the relatives may seek to avenge the killing. 

Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the accidental death will appear before the leaders at the city gate and explain what happened. They must allow the accused to enter the city and live there among them.  If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the accused to them, for the death was accidental.  But the person who caused the death must stay in that city and be tried by the community and found innocent. Then the one declared innocent because the death was accidental must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, the one found innocent is free to return home." 

The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.  On the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho, the following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Bezer, in the wilderness plain of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh.  These cities were set apart for Israelites as well as the foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed another person could take refuge in one of these cities. In this way, they could escape being killed in revenge prior to standing trial before the community.”

Innocence must be protected.  Someone who accidentally killed another person ran to a city of refuge and explained to the city leaders what happened.  If the accidental killer is innocent of guilt, the city must harbor the person from the avenging people of the deceased’s family.  They must not let him go.

However, if the innocent person leaves the city of refuge for any reason, he is vulnerable to being avenged… at least until the current high priest died.  And this protection was for everyone, including foreigners who lived among the Israelites.  It’s a matter of justice.

Let’s stick with the Lord, through thick and thin.  Why?  Because there is no better place to be.  Read from John chapter six:

At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.  Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you going to leave, too?" 

Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.  We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God." 

Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil."  He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would betray him. (Verses 66-71)

Eternity is wrapped up in the Lord.  Nothing is more important!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Take an Active Role! Joshua 18-19; John 5

May the mumbling commence!

Merry Christmas!  Happy Birthday, Jesus!  You are the greatest gift of all.  Let us give thanks.

Let us embrace our part in the Kingdom of God.  Help us, O Lord, to discover Your Kingdom among us and within us.  Help us to take an active part.  Guide us.  Read from Joshua chapter eighteen:

Then Joshua asked them, "How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you? Select three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the unconquered territory. They will return to me with a written report of their proposed divisions of the inheritance.  The scouts will map the land into seven sections, excluding Judah's territory in the south and Joseph's territory in the north.  Then I will cast sacred lots in the presence of the Lord our God to decide which section will be assigned to each tribe.  However, the Levites will not receive any land. Their role as priests of the Lord is their inheritance. And the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh won't receive any more land, for they have already received their inheritance, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them on the east side of the Jordan River." (Verses 3-7)

How long will we wait on the Lord?  We just completed Advent, the season of waiting.  Christmas has dawned.  Angels have sung.

Do we still wait?  Yes, we wait for Christ to come again.  BUT we wait actively.  We seek out the Kingdom of God.  Survey it.  It’s the only place where we will feel totally at home, because we will continually know that we are in the presence of the Lord.

Help us perceive the activity of Your Holy Spirit so that we might have the audacity to get up and walk in new ways.  Do we really want to walk in a new way… the Way of Christ?  Read from John chapter five:

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days.  Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.  Crowds of sick people – blind, lame, or paralyzed – lay on the porches.  One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, "Would you like to get well?" 

"I can't, sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me." 

Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!" 

Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking! (Verses 1-9a)

Thirty-eight years – that’s a long wait indeed.  Long enough to get used to life as an invalid.  To be healed would to have a vastly different life – a life that included standing, working, and walking.  Did he want to be healed and live in a new way?

Are we willing to be healed?  Are we willing to live in a new way?  Are we quick to say that we can’t, just like the man in this story?

What we can and cannot do will never prohibit the Way of Jesus.  It is about what the Lord can or cannot do.  And everything is possible for the Lord.  EVERYTHING!  Work in our lives in a new way… Your way.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Be Faithful. Joshua 16-17; John 4

May the mumbling commence!

God is faithful.  God rewards people who are faithful to the Lord.  Rewards happen regardless of boundaries that you and I arbitrarily construct.  That includes the issues of gender – male and female.  Read from Joshua chapter seventeen:

However, Zelophehad son of Hepher, who was a descendant of Manasseh, Makir, and Gilead, had no sons. Instead, he had five daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.  These women came to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite leaders and said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with the men of our tribe."

So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with their uncles, as the Lord had commanded.  As a result, Manasseh's inheritance came to ten parcels of land, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan River, because the female descendants of Manasseh received an inheritance along with the male descendants. (The land of Gilead was given to the rest of the male descendants of Manasseh.) (Verses 3-6)

The Lord is faithful to His promises.  This fact rings true in the case of Zelophehad’s daughters.  They were promised portions of land along with their uncles, and they were given that land.  Even though they did not fight, they were given that land. 

The faithfulness of Mahlah and Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah is seen in their persistence before the male leadership of Israel.  And they were blessed.  Justice was done to them and their father.

And faithfulness to the Lord is something that can sustain us better than anything else.  It is a food that satisfies us more than fresh-baked bread.  Read from John chapter four:

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat.  "No," he said, "I have food you don't know about."  

"Who brought it to him?" the disciples asked each other. 

Then Jesus explained: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.  Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest.  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!  You know the saying, 'One person plants and someone else harvests.' And it's true.  I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant; others had already done the work, and you will gather the harvest." (Verses 31-38)

Nourishment comes from doing the will of God… from finishing the word God has placed before us.  Nothing satisfies more than knowing that you’ve done the work God has placed before you.  Nothing satisfies more than knowing you have brought glory and honor and praise to the Lord.

So keep your eyes peeled.  The vast acres of God’s field are ripening all about us.  Prepare yourself to bring in the harvest.  Know that God planted the seed long before you came upon the mature field.

If we do this work, we will be satisfied in ways that nothing else can satisfy us.  O Lord, help us to be faithful to You.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Faithfulness Rewarded. Joshua 14-15; John 3

May the mumbling commence!

Faithfulness to God is rewarded both inside and outside of Israel.  Look at how God rewards Caleb after the Promised Land is conquered.  Read from Joshua chapter fourteen:

A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, "Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea.  I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave from my heart a good report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people and discouraged them from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I followed the Lord my God completely.  So that day Moses promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your special possession and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.' 

Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise – even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old.  I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.  So I'm asking you to give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the Anakites living there in great, walled cities. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said." 

So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as an inheritance.  Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.  (Previously Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba. It had been named after Arba, a great hero of the Anakites.) And the land had rest from war. (Verses 6-15)

Caleb encouraged the people to follow the Lord.  He followed the Lord completely and was promised the land he walked as his own.  Now Caleb was asking for that land… and he was willing to take the land because of his undying trust of the Lord.

Though Caleb was counted as a part of the tribe of Judah, he was adopted into it.  He was a Kenizzite.  Yes, God rewards faithfulness of people both inside and outside of Israel.

And faithfulness sometimes means letting go of our own ambitions to hold tightly to the path God has put before us – even when our friends think it wrong.  Read from John chapter three:

At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there and people kept coming to him for baptism.  This was before John was put into prison.  At that time a certain Jew began an argument with John's disciples over ceremonial cleansing.  John's disciples came to him and said, "Teacher, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you said was the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going over there instead of coming here to us." 

John replied, "God in heaven appoints each person's work.  You yourselves know how plainly I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him – that is all.  The bride will go where the bridegroom is. A bridegroom's friend rejoices with him. I am the bridegroom's friend, and I am filled with joy at his success.  He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (Verses 23-30)

Let us find joy in the Lord in the Advent and Christmas season.  May we bring glory and honor and praise to the name of Jesus – the name above all names.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Won't Be Fooled Again! Joshua 9-13

May the mumbling commence!

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice shame on me…

Have you ever been fooled?  What is a way to keep from being fooled?

The Israelite people were fooled when they were conquering the Promised Land.  Read from Joshua chapter nine:

But when the people of Gibeon heard what had happened to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old patched wineskins.  They put on ragged clothes and worn-out, patched sandals. And they took along dry, moldy bread for provisions.  When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us." 

The Israelites replied to these Hivites, "How do we know you don't live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you." 

They replied, "We will be your servants."

"But who are you?" Joshua demanded. "Where do you come from?" 

They answered, "We are from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he did in Egypt.  We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River – King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth).  So our leaders and our people instructed us, 'Prepare for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and declare our people to be their servants, and ask for peace.' 

This bread was hot from the ovens when we left. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy.  These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and cracked. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our long, hard trip." 

So the Israelite leaders examined their bread, but they did not consult the Lord.  Then Joshua went ahead and signed a peace treaty with them, and the leaders of Israel ratified their agreement with a binding oath. 

Three days later, the facts came out – these people of Gibeon lived nearby!  The Israelites set out at once to investigate and reached their towns in three days. The names of these towns were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.  But the Israelites did not attack the towns, for their leaders had made a vow to the Lord, the God of Israel.

The people of Israel grumbled against their leaders because of the treaty.  But the leaders replied, "We have sworn an oath in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel. We cannot touch them.  We must let them live, for God would be angry with us if we broke our oath.  Let them live. But we will make them chop the wood and carry the water for the entire community."

So the Israelites kept their promise to the Gibeonites. (Verses 3-21)

What an intricate and planned deception!  They planted proofs of their long journey through worn clothes and sandals, through patched wineskins and moldy bread.  And Israel took the bait – hook, line and sinker.

Israel did not consult the Lord.  Israel went ahead and made the peace treaty.  But, as in all things, the truth eventually comes out.  It was three days in this case.  And the people of Israel were not happy at being duped. 

Still, the leaders knew that they had to live by their oath.  So the promise was kept and the Gibeonites were forced into labor for Israel – just as they had asked.  They paid the price for their indiscretion.  Perhaps we can learn from their mistake and consult the Lord in all we do.

Lord, help us to keep from being fooled by your enemies.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out