too many troops

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

too many troops

Judges 7:1-15 (JDV)

Judges 7:1 Jerubbaal (AKA, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him, got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
Judges 7:2 Yahveh said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘My own strength saved me.’
Judges 7:3 Now announce to the troops: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling is allowed to turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'” So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained.
Judges 7:4 Then Yahveh said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,’ he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,’ he cannot go.”
Judges 7:5 So he brought the troops down to the water, and Yahveh said to Gideon, “Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink.”
Judges 7:6 The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men, and all the rest of the troops knelt to drink water.
Judges 7:7 Yahveh said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the three hundred men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.”
Judges 7:8 So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred troops, who took the provisions and their trumpets. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Judges 7:9 That night Yahveh said to him, “Get up and attack the camp, because I have handed it over to you.
Judges 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack the camp, go down with Purah your servant.
Judges 7:11 Listen to what they say, and then you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops who were in the camp.
Judges 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the Qedemites had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore.
Judges 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he noticed a man telling his associate about a dream. He said, “Notice, I had a dream: a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, hit a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent upside down so that it collapsed.”
Judges 7:14 His associate answered: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him.”
Judges 7:15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to Israel’s camp and said, “Get up, because Yahveh has handed the Midianite camp over to you.”

too many troops

Often when we consider some new mission, we doubt our ability to do it because we don’t have enough support. Gideon had amassed a considerable army with which he intended to come against the Midianites. But God told him to reduce the number. When the army was reduced to a mere 300 men, God was satisfied, by Gideon was not sure that it was enough. But after a short spying out of the Midianite camp, Gideon realized that God had instilled fear into the Midianite army, and that fear would do the work of thousands of soldiers.

Gideon must have realized that the tests God required were in some way a response to his own insistence on testing God in the past. His greatest weakness was not lack of numbers, but lack of faith. God gently reveals enough to overcome his fear, and so bolsters his faith. As a result, Gideon worshipped.

LORD, thank you for gently walking us through the task you have given us, and making up for our weaknesses with your strength.

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the most unlikely hero

Posted on February 13, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

the most unlikely hero

Judges 6:25-40 (JDV)

Judges 6:25 On that very night Yahveh said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
Judges 6:26 Build a well-constructed altar to Yahveh your God on the top of this mound. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood from the Asherah pole you cut down.”
Judges 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as Yahveh had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.
Judges 6:28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they noticed Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built.
Judges 6:29 They said to each associate, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
Judges 6:30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
Judges 6:31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you argue Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever argues his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.”
Judges 6:32 That day he was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal argue with him,” because he tore down his altar.
Judges 6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and Qedemites gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Jezreel Valley.
Judges 6:34 The Breath of Yahveh enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.
Judges 6:35 He sent agents throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent agents throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who also came to meet him.
Judges 6:36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you said,
Judges 6:37 Notice, I will put a wool fleece here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the land is dry, I will know that you will deliver Israel by my strength, as you said.”
Judges 6:38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.
Judges 6:39 Gideon then said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the land.”
Judges 6:40 That night God did as Gideon requested: only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the land.

the most unlikely hero

If you want to use this passage as a proof-text for testing the LORD to see if he is in something you are planning, or to determine whether a certain option is his will or not – go ahead. But I do not think that is the point of the passage. The author of Judges was showing the weakness of Gideon to highlight the LORD’s strength. He was showing Gideon’s fear to highlight God’s patience and grace. Like all the stories of the Judges, Gideon’s story shows a God who is willing to act in spite of the unwillingness of his people to take a stand for him. The Israelites would have rather dig themselves holes and crawl in after them. They cried out to him for help. He sent the most unlikely hero to save them, so that the LORD might get the glory.

LORD, call us to do great things for you. We know we are not worthy, but if you are in it, your mission cannot fail.

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staying engaged with God

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

staying engaged with God

Judges 6:11-24 (JDV)

Judges 6:11 The agent of Yahveh came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:12 Then the agent of Yahveh appeared to him and said: “Yahveh is with you, capable warrior.”
Judges 6:13 Gideon said to him, “Excuse me, my lord, if Yahveh is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his miracles that our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t Yahveh brought us out of Egypt? ‘ But now Yahveh has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
Judges 6:14 Yahveh turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!”
Judges 6:15 He said to him, “Excuse me, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Notice, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.”
Judges 6:16 “But I will be with you,” Yahveh said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”
Judges 6:17 Then he said to him, “If I have found favor with you, give me a sign that it is you who are speaking with me.
Judges 6:18 Please do not leave this place until I return to you. Let me bring my gift and place it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.”
Judges 6:19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
Judges 6:20 The agent of God said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, place it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” So he did that.
Judges 6:21 The agent of Yahveh extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the agent of Yahveh vanished from his eyes.
Judges 6:22 When Gideon realized that he was the agent of Yahveh, he said, “Oh no, Lord Yahveh! I have seen the agent of Yahveh face to face!”
Judges 6:23 But Yahveh said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, because you will not die.”
Judges 6:24 So Gideon built an altar to Yahveh there and called it Yahveh Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.

staying engaged with God

You would think that this miraculous sign would be enough. But Gideon goes on and asks for more signs. Trust is a hard thing to build. God knew that Gideon had a lifetime of unanswered questions and disappointments. He was willing to invest this time in Gideon in spite of his weak trust. Every engagement, every conversation — every sign — helped Gideon overcome his lack of trust and help build his faith.

God is willing to do that for you too. But you will have to meet with him and let him challenge you to be more than you can imagine. If you stay away from God, he will honor that choice. But you will lose the blessing.

LORD, make us people who stay engaged with you, until you make us what we can be.

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hiding places

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

hiding places

Judges 6:1-10 (JDV)

Judges 6:1 The Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of Yahveh. So Yahveh gave them to Midian’s hands seven years,
Judges 6:2 and they overpowered Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.
Judges 6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the Qedemites came and attacked them.
Judges 6:4 They encamped against them and ruined the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, not a sheep, ox, or donkey.
Judges 6:5 You see, the Midianites came up with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to ruin it.
Judges 6:6 So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to Yahveh.
Judges 6:7 When the Israelites cried out to Yahveh because of Midian,
Judges 6:8 Yahveh sent a prophet to them. He said to them, “This is what Yahveh God of Israel says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery.
Judges 6:9 I rescued you from the hand of Egypt and the hand of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.
Judges 6:10 I said to you: I am Yahveh your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey me.'”

hiding places

The prophet identified the root cause of the Israelites’ failure, which led to their being dominated by their enemies. The root cause was fear of false gods, and the fear was caused by sin. God had given them over to their enemies because they had done evil in the eyes of Yahveh. Fear, in this case, was caused by sin.

The gospel tells us to fear not, but the only way to obey that command is to remove the condemnation of sin. So, if we want to overcome our fear, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners, in need of God’s help.

It is so easy to create hiding places instead of dealing with our own sinfulness. We run to the mountains and seek refuge, while the enemy destroys our crops time after time. That’s okay, we say, because we are safe in our hiding places.

But we know that is not true. The hiding places are not the answer. God’s intervention is always the way out.

LORD, give us courage to face our fear, repent of our sin, and seek your deliverance.

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a hammer in her hand

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

a hammer in her hand

Judges 5:19-31 (JDV)

Judges 5:19 Kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo, but they did not plunder the silver.
Judges 5:20 The stars fought from the sky; the stars fought with Sisera from their paths.
Judges 5:21 The river Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the river Kishon. March on, my throat, in strength!
Judges 5:22 The horses’ hooves then hammered – the galloping, galloping of his stallions.
Judges 5:23 “Curse Meroz,” says the agent of Yahveh, “Bitterly curse her inhabitants, because they did not come to help Yahveh, to help Yahveh with the warriors.”
Judges 5:24 Jael is most empowered of women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; she is most empowered among tent-dwelling women.
Judges 5:25 He asked for water; she gave him milk. She brought him cream in a majestic bowl.
Judges 5:26 She reached for a tent peg, her right hand, for a workman’s hammer. Then she hammered Sisera – she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple.
Judges 5:27 He collapsed, he fell, he lay down between her feet; he collapsed, he fell between her feet; where he collapsed, there he fell – dead.
Judges 5:28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice, crying out: “Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don’t I hear the hoof-beats of his horses?”
Judges 5:29 Her wisest princesses answer her; she even answers herself:
Judges 5:30 “They must be finding and dividing the loot – a girl or two for each warrior, the loot of colored garments for Sisera, the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck?”
Judges 5:31 Yahveh, may all your enemies perish like Sisera did. But may those who love him be like the rising of the sun in its strength. And the land had peace for forty years.

a hammer in her hand

As Deborah’s song comes to an end, she mentions Sisera’s end. He was a powerful king, who saw his entire army destroyed, and thought he just might escape. But God intervened in his escape plan by placing a warrior in just the right place — with a hammer in her hand.

Whoever you are, you have a status before God. You are not neutral. You are either God’s child — destined for permanent life, or his enemy — destined to die like Sisera.

Come to God today, before it is too late.

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those yet unconvinced

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

those yet unconvinced

Judges 5:10-18 (JDV)

Judges 5:10 You who ride on white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and who travel on the road, give praise!
Judges 5:11 Let them tell the righteous acts of Yahveh, the righteous deeds of his warriors in Israel, with the voices of the singers at the watering places. Then Yahveh’s people went down to the city gates.
Judges 5:12 “Wake up! Wake up, Deborah! Wake up! Wake up, sing a song! Get up, Barak, and take your prisoners, son of Abinoam!”
Judges 5:13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; Yahveh’s people came down to me with the warriors.
Judges 5:14 Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim; Benjamin came with your people after you. The leaders came down from Machir, and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.
Judges 5:15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; Issachar was with Barak; they were under his leadership in the valley. There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben.
Judges 5:16 Why did you sit among the sheep pens listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks? There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben.
Judges 5:17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you stay rowing the ships? Asher remained at the seashore and stayed in his harbors.
Judges 5:18 The people of Zebulun didn’t care about their throats, even if they died. Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

those yet unconvinced

This part of Deborah’s song celebrates the courage of those who fought, and also spoke of those who stayed behind and searched their hearts. God was in this, but not everyone was convinced.

That reality has been replayed in history many times. We can confidently assert that God was in something, if it turned out to be the case afterward. We can even look down on those who did not share our post-event enlightenment.

God is calling us to step out in faith and answer his call. He is also calling us to be patient and considerate of those who are not yet ready to sign on.

LORD, thank you for your call and commission. Give us patience and grace toward those yet unconvinced.

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no junk

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

no junk

Judges 5:1-9 (JDV)

Judges 5:1 On that day Deborah (and Barak son of Abinoam) sang:
Judges 5:2 When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless Yahveh.
Judges 5:3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to Yahveh; I will sing praise to Yahveh God of Israel.
Judges 5:4 Yahveh, when you came from Seir, when you marched from the fields of Edom, the land trembled, the skies poured rain, and the clouds poured water.
Judges 5:5 The mountains melted before Yahveh, even Sinai, before Yahveh, the God of Israel.
Judges 5:6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main roads were deserted because travelers kept to the side roads.
Judges 5:7 Villages were deserted, they were deserted in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
Judges 5:8 Israel elected new gods, then there was war in the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
Judges 5:9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the people. Blessed be Yahveh!

no junk

God used volunteers to make a difference when times were bad. When it seemed like there was no hope for the Israelites, God used Deborah and Jael to light a fire under the men of Israel. Such has been the case for God’s people through the ages. When it seemed like no man could stem the tide of failure and bondage, God’s Holy Spirit empowered women to step in. We should not be surprised at that. God always exceeds our expectations.

But we should also learn the lesson from such events. Our God tells us not to put people in boxes. When we discount people because of their biological sex, or because of their race or social status, we are telling God that he has made some treasure and some junk. He does not make junk. Every one of his creations is a miracle, potentially empowered by him supernaturally.

LORD, thank you for all your marvelous creation.

Posted in appreciation, creation, equality | Tagged | 1 Comment

God at work through her

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

God at work through her

Judges 4:11-24 (JDV)

Judges 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses’s father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
Judges 4:12 It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor.
Judges 4:13 Sisera called to arms all his nine hundred iron chariots and all the troops who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations to the Wadi Kishon.
Judges 4:14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day Yahveh has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t Yahveh gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
Judges 4:15 Yahveh threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into confusion before Barak’s assault. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot.
Judges 4:16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
Judges 4:17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.
Judges 4:18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
Judges 4:19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.
Judges 4:20 Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here? ‘ say, ‘No.'”
Judges 4:21 While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.
Judges 4:22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and noticed Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!
Judges 4:23 That day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites.
Judges 4:24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against King Jabin of Canaan until they cut him down.

God at work through her

God was at work eliminating the threat of Jabin’s army by means of Barak’s army. God was also at work eliminating Sisera through Jael — a Kenite housewife. She could have stayed in “her place” and waited for her husband, or a male soldier to do it, but she did not. She violated her assigned gender role in order to obey God and do what he called her to do.

This is one of the many passages in Scripture which help me to form a more comprehensive theology relating to males and females. I accept that God created us with differences, and bow to his wisdom in doing so. But I cannot accept that those differences are so profound that I should question the actions of someone like Jael. The Bible has nothing but praise for her courage and commitment.

God is also at work through his servants and soldiers today, and many happen to be women. Many of my fellow Christians feel uncomfortable about that because they see it as a reflection of an ungodly moral revolution. Having taught many female ministry students, and raised three daughters, I see it as something else. Jael is among us, and she will get the job done, because God is at work through her.

LORD, thank you for working through any of us who is willing to obey you.

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Barak’s condition

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

Barak’s condition

Judges 4:1-10 (JDV)

Judges 4:1 The Israelites added to the wrong they did in the eyes of Yahveh after Ehud had died.
Judges 4:2 So Yahveh sold them to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.
Judges 4:3 Then the Israelites cried out to Yahveh, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them twenty years.
Judges 4:4 Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Judges 4:5 She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites were going up to her to settle disputes.
Judges 4:6 She called on Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t Yahveh, the God of Israel, commanded you: ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?
Judges 4:7 Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.'”
Judges 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
Judges 4:9 “I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because Yahveh will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Judges 4:10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to arms at Kedesh; ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.

Barak’s condition

Some might criticize Barak for only agreeing to go into battle if Debrorah goes with him. Not me. I see it as a very wise decision. Barak knew that God blesses those who follow his will, and Deborah knew what God wanted.

It was a wise decision because getting victory with someone else’s help is way better that being defeated all by your own lonesome. Barak had the wisdom to look beyond appearances and trust God for victory, even if God wants to use a woman to achieve that victory.

Who are you discounting in your plans to do God’s will. It just might be that person God wants to help you succeed.

LORD, give us the wisdom to accept your plans, even when we don’t understand them.

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follow me, because

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

Judges - 1

follow me, because

Judges 3:27-31 (JDV)

Judges 3:27 After he arrived, he sounded the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he was in front.
Judges 3:28 He told them, “Follow me, because Yahveh has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.
Judges 3:29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all big and capable men. Not one of them escaped.
Judges 3:30 Moab became subject to Israel that day, and the land had peace for eighty years.
Judges 3:31 After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He also delivered Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with a goad.

follow me, because

Ehud could be confident that God had handed over the enemy because he had experienced it in his own dealing with Eglon. His success solidified his calling as a leader. None of us should presume to lead God’s people until we have a testimony of how God has personally rescued us. This testimony now becomes a rallying point for others.

Lord, rescue us, and make us leaders in our community.

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