Judges 20:21-28

Hey, y'all! :)

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Judges 20:21-28

Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encourage themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, "Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him."

So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day. And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.

Then the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

 

We are not guaranteed instant victory. The Lord had clearly sent the men of Israel to fight against the men of Benjamin in order to bring about justice and a renewed purity after the awful things they had done (see chapter 19). But before they gained the victory, they were thoroughly beaten twice, causing them to cry out to the Lord and weep before Him. So often, we seem to think that we should be able to go out and quickly claim a victory in our life somehow--but that is not always how it works. We have to be committed to and prepared for a long battle, as well as willing to get on our face before the Lord and cry out to Him.

 

Father, I am willing to fight for as long as it takes...help me to seek Your will and Your strength, and to press on in the face of defeat!

 

May the Lord bless you richly with all that He is!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 16:21, 25, 28-30

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 16:21, 25, 28-30

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison... So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may perform for us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars...

Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

 

Because of his own foolishness, Samson was bound. Blinded. Forced to serve in the prison house of the enemy. He became the laughingstock of the heathen, a source of "entertainment" to them. But even there, he found redemption. In this place of forced humility, Samson finally realized his source of strength. So he called on the Lord in his darkest hour and the Lord redeemed even that impossible situation--which Samson had gotten himself into! And, He redeemed it in a big way, as Samson accomplished more in his death than in his life. 

God can redeem any situation, even when I get myself into them by my own sin and foolishness. And He will do it, in His way and His time, which is always better than anything I can think up! 

 

Father, thank You for the many times You have redeemed the foolish situations I've gotten myself into! I want to follow You, and stay out of those kinds of situations, but when I do get into them, help me to turn to You and trust in Your grace to redeem them!

 

May the Lord richly bless you with His grace and joy!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

 

Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 14:6a, 19a; 15:14

And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand...

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle.

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.

 

Samson may have thought his strength came from his uncut hair, but since every time he accomplished some great feat it is preceeded by the phrase "the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him", I think his strength had a different source. :) The best news is, that same strength is available to me. No, I will probably never kill a lion barehanded, or slay thirty men, or break off ropes like they were burnt string...but God's Spirit will give me the strength to do whatever God is calling me to do. I cannot place my trust in my own strength or in any source of strength except God alone.

 

Father, help me to trust in You alone for the strength to live and walk as You have called me to!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in His strength!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 11:1-2

Good morning, y'all!

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Judges 11:1-2

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. Gilead's wife bore sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, "You shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman."

 

Jephthah apparently has two aspects to his identity: he is a mighty man of valor, and he's an "illegitimate" son born out of wedlock. Here's what is interesting: his brothers (or half-brothers) throw him out because he's "the son of another woman" but God uses him to deliver Israel because he is "a mighty man of valor" (read the rest of Judges 11!). So tell me--which one mattered most? What his half-brothers called him, or what God knew him to be? When Jephthah walked in his God-given identity, rather than his man-made label, he did great things. What great things might God be calling you to?

 

Father, help me to see and walk in the identity, the destiny that You have for me!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in the identity He has given you!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 4:14-16

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 4:14-16

Then Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

 

Deborah told Barak that the Lord "has delivered Sisera into your hand". The victory was already theirs! The Lord had already given it to them. And it was the Lord who "routed Sisera and all his chariots with the edge of the sword". However, Barak and the Israelite army still had to go up and take the victory that the Lord had given them. They couldn't just sit back and say, "Praise the Lord! He's given us the victory!" while still living in bondage to Sisera. Yet, although we may chuckle at the picture that brings to mind, to a great extent that is what the church in general is doing today. God has given us victory over sin; a victory that was won on Calvary. But in order to live in the reality of that victory, we've got to get up, fight in the Lord's strength, and take it!

 

Father, give me the courage and the strength to stand for You, to fight in the battles You lay out before me, and to take the victory You have already won in my life!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in the victory He has given you!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 10:10-16

Hey, everyone! Happy Monday! :)

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Judges 10:10-16
And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!"
So the LORD said to the children of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress."
And the children of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

It looks like maybe the Lord has finally had enough of the sin-and-rescue cycle the Israelites have been in ever since He delivered them from Egypt. He's tired of a people that only turn to Him when they get tired of the slavery that is a consequence of their own sin. So He tells them to go call on the other "gods" that they have chosen to follow. There's just one problem: Israel knows that those "gods" don't actually have any power, and it will do them no good to call on them. Now they are at a point of complete desperation for God's deliverance. What are they going to do?!
They come back to Him and say, "We've totally blown it. We know that. And You can do whatever You want to us. Please, we beg You, whatever else You may do, please deliver us." But then--with no reason to think that God will actually deliver them--they put away the false gods they had been following, and turn back to serve the Lord. They are demonstrating hearts of true repentance--"even if You don't deliver us, we will serve You." And suddenly, God "could no longer endure the misery of Israel". True repentance moves and touches the heart of God.

Father, as hard as I try to follow Your will, I know there are still times when I blow it. How glad I am You never give up on me! But help me not to take that for granted; help me to learn the value of true repentance, of coming back to serve You just because You are God--not for anything I want.

May the Lord richly bless you with all that He is!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 8:4

Hey, y'all! :)
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Judges 8:4
When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.

I love that last phrase--"exhausted but still in pursuit". There have been so many times when I have been so worn out in striving to do what God wanted me to. I've wanted to pause for breath, to take a rest, to just plain quit. But victory only comes by pushing through and pressing in even when I'm exhausted. I'm reminded of Galatians 6:9-- "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." There will be times when I am tired; times when I want to quit; times when I can easily reason with myself that God will understand if I do quit. And, I suppose in a way He does understand when I quit. But I miss out on a reward, and there is no victory gained. Which means the battle will have to be fought again sometime. If I will press on even when I'm totally worn out, I think I will discover that His grace is enough.

Father, Your grace has always been enough--in my life, and all throughout history. When times of exhaustion come, help me to remember that and to press on in Your calling.

May the Lord bless you with His grace as you press on, even when you may be exhausted.

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 7:4-8

Good morning, y'all!

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Judges 7:4-8
But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place." So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

God gave Gideon the directions for this "test" one step at a time:
1) take them down to the water
2) split them into these two groups
3) keep these with you, send those home

Only as Gideon obeyed each command was the next part revealed to him. And even once his army was finalized after this test, he still didn't know how in the world they were supposed to defeat the Midianites! But God revealed that to him, too, when the time was right.
I always want to see the big picture now. I want to know exactly where I'm going, what I'm doing, how, why and when. That's just not usually how God works! He works and leads in my life one step at a time, and only when I take the step He's showing me will I see what the next step is.

Father, help me to follow You one step at a time, trusting that You will reveal Your will to me at the right time -- Your time.

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in step-by-step obedience to Him!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 6:11-12

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 6:11-12

Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"

 

These verses always make me smile. Gideon is hiding out in the winepress in fear of the Midianites, and the angel calls him "you mighty man of valor!" :) Throughout the rest of Judges 6, Gideon does some other things that are not really very mighty-man-of-valor-ish. He tries to weasel out of being called by explaining that he is the least of a poor family from a small tribe. He questions whether this call is even from God and has to have it proven to him (by fire from heaven consuming his offering). He obeys God's first command to him by night for fear of death. Then he tests God's calling again with the whole fleece thing--twice! Yet God never loses patience with him because through it all, Gideon is taking little baby steps toward becoming what God has called him all along--a mighty man of valor.

 

Father, give me Your perspective; Your view of who I am to be. You called Gideon a mighty man of valor when he was still hiding out in fear. What do You call me?

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you move forward in becoming who He says you are!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 5:11

Hey, y'all!

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Judges 5:11

They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of His villages in Israel. Then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

 

Those who have been delivered love to talk about what the Lord has done. They "rehearse" (or retell) over and over the stories of how He has worked in their lives; whether in common every day places (such as drawing water at the well), or in the "important" places (the gates of the city). His righteous works are the favorite theme of their conversation!

 

Father, may Your works be the theme of my thoughts and my words!

 

May the Lord bless you richly as you "rehearse" His righteous acts!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 3:5-7

Mornin', y'all! :)

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Judges 3:5-7

Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.

 

The backslide of the nation of Israel begins when they start developing close relationships with the world around them. As they intermarried with the other nations, they were drawn away from the LORD. Next thing they know, they're in captivity, slaves to a foreign king because they would not walk the high road God had called them to walk.

We are supposed to be different, separate, set apart! But so many times, we buy into the world's philosophies, or their value system, or their culture or traditions. We are drawn away from the one true God because we get too close and cozy with the world. It may be tough to find the balance between being "in the world" but not "of the world", yet it is crucial that we do find it and start carrying ourselves and living as people set apart for God.

And before anybody points out to me that Jesus kept company with sinners...yes, He ate with the tax collectors and the outcasts and the sinners, but He did not form close relationships with unrepentant sinners. And that is the big difference.

 

Father, help me to stay as close as possible to You, not seeing how close I can get to the line between Your way and the world's way.

 

May the Lord richly bless you as You seek to stay close to Him!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 2:16-19

Hey, y'all, happy Wednesday! :)

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Judges 2:16-19

Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down  to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

 

These verses summarize the rest of the book of Judges--the people would wander off after other gods, God would bring judgment in the form of captivity, they would cry out to the Lord, He would raise up a deliverer, they would follow the Lord for a while, then they would wander off after other gods....over and over again. Actually, come to think of it, this sums up most of the Bible and basically the history of mankind. The wandering propensities of the human race, the repetitive mercy and redemptive grace of the Lord--that's the story of everyone's life. Reading passages like this, seeing that God still loved His people even when they wandered, and He continually sought to bring them back into a relationship with Himself; it inspires hope--no matter how far or how often you've run away, God's grace is still enough and His heart still longs after you. It also inspires obedience--knowing how much He loves me, I will strive to stay close to Him!

 

Father, how grateful I am that You never give up on Your people! Thank You for the many times You have drawn me back to Your side. Help me to stay close to You, giving up my own "stubborn way" to simply follow You!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 1:1-3

Good afternoon, everybody! :)

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Judges 1:1-3
Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?" And the LORD said, "Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand." So Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory." And Simeon went with him.

These verses first caught my attention because of the meaning of the name "Judah". Judah means "celebrated", it comes from a root word meaning to revere or worship (with extended hands). I thought it interesting that the Lord would decree that "worship" should lead the way to conquering the land. Then Judah enlists the aid of Simeon, so I had to go look up that name, too. Simeon means "hearing", and its root word means to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.). These two together--worship and hearing--are anointed by God to lead Israel to victory over the Canaanites. And in our lives today, our victory will be found when we turn our eyes and ears to worshipping the Lord and listening to--and obeying--His word.

Father, help me to keep my eyes on You and my ears open to Your voice; only as I worship You will I have victory in my life!

May the Lord richly bless you with victory as you worship Him and heed His word!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website