He Is Wonderful!

Reading:  Judges 12, 13
My Verse:  "And the Angel of the LORD said to him, Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful" (13:18)?

So the Israelites are back again to their sinful ways.  "And the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. . . " (13:1).  Various men are raised up to bring them relief from their oppressers, but only for brief periods of time.  According to the account, these men did not sound like they gave their all to You, LORD God.  They sound like they were too much caught up into the culture of their time - acquiring many wives and living for self.

It is so easy to forget who we are, Who You are.  We get caught up in the time we live in, in the culture, the way of thinking.  We allow ouselves to become dull to Who You are, to the precepts of Your Word.  I have been so sad as the saga of the whole homosexuality movement gathers steam.  Great leaders, one by one  fall to the lie that this is a "civil liberty" likened to the fight for equality for ethnic groups and the fight for women's rights.  Yet, Your Word is so very clear on what this is - a sin, an aberration of what You intended when You created us. We are so susceptible to the cultural beliefs that we live in.

I love this account of how You intercede into the lives of man.  Manoah is unsure of just Who You are.  He wants to know Your name and You tell Him is it "Wonderful."  Love it!  You are all that is good.  You want to bring us to that goodness of You - that rightness.  You also want to show us how truly wonderful and amazing You are.  You are going to give Manoah and his barren wife a child - a special child.  Then You do some amazing things in front of Manoah and his wife.  "the Angel  working wonders, while Manoah and his wife looked on.  For when  the flame went up toward the heavens from the altar, the Angel of the LORD ascended in the altar flame" (13:19,20).  Yes, You always meet us where we are. You provide us assurance of Your deity, Your holiness.  Thank You, for that.

I love Clyde Kilby's resolutions for living.  I have been reading and rereading them and include them here.  Wonderful to meditate on as they help me realize Your Wonderfulness LORD God!

"1. At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.

2. Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russell before his death, when he said: “There is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendour, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing.”

3. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence but just as likely ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual manhood.

4. I shall not turn my life into a thin straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what I am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.

5. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

6. I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their “divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic” existence.

7. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Carroll, the “child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder.”

8. I shall follow Darwin’s advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.

9. I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Charles Williams suggested, “fulfill the moment as the moment.” I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.

10. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha and Omega."  -from Pastor John Piper

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

A Harlot's Son

Reading:  Judges 8 - 11
My Verse:  "Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a harlot, Gilead was Jephthah's father" (Judges 11:1).


LORD God, the Bible is so fascinating.  Each and every story, in fact every word was recorded for our benefit, our edification.  You had a purpose for recording these events.  We may not understand completely or fully the reasons behind these stories but we can through study and meditation on them get some  edification - some small spark of understanding that helps us in our walk with You.

Here, is this man Jephthah.  He was apparently a great man - that men would follow him, and the elders would seek him out to be their leader.  He even seems to be a believer in You.  In verse 11:9, he acknowledges that any victory he achieved would be through You - "and the LORD gives them over to me."  He knew well the history of Israel and acknowledged that You were behind all Israel's victories.  He even seemed to be able to be diplomatic by trying to first talk to the Ammonites.  So he did seem a natural leader.

However, You did not raise him up to be Israel's leader.  The Israelites did this themselves, without seeking Your guidance in this.  Did you not choose him because even though he believed he did not surround himself with good people? The men that followed him were described as "worthless fellows."   He did not seek You out - seek out Your wisdom in all things?

You did enable him to do amazing things. "Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah" (11:29).

Yet Jephthah was foolish. He said and made rash statements - like the terrible vow he made which had awful results.  "And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering" (11:30).  Well, of course it was his only child, his daughter that ran out to meet him!

LORD God, what do I take away from this fascinating and tragic story?  I think one thing I do learn from this is that our background does not need to define who we become.  The fact that Jephthah's mother was a harlot caused him to be looked down on by his own family, yet he was sought out by the Israelites later because of the natural talents that You, LORD God gave him.  He had great skills and abilities.  He also chose to believe in You and so was a believer.

Yet, it is so important even as believers that we do our part.  We have decisions to make every day - decisions that will either bring us closer to You or draw us away.  Too many of us take a lackadaisical attitude toward our walk with You. As a result we too, like Jephthah, act foolishly and sometimes suffer the awful consequences of our foolishness.

Thank You, LORD God for this edifying story of Jephthah, the harlot's son.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

You Care Even for Doubters!

Reading: Judges7
My Verse:  "When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped and returned to the camp of Israel and said, Arise, for the Lord has given into your hand the host of Midian" (Judges 7:15).

This story of Gideon is a wonderful example of how much You care for us, especially those of us that doubt Your provision!  Gideon early on showed his doubts and need of reassurance.  Here they are getting ready for a great battle.  You have guided him to hone down his army from a mighty 32,000 men to a mere 300!  Gideon and the men remaining had to be wondering how they could possibly conquer a large army with just 300 men! 

Then You provide Gideon assurance.  You did not expect him to just blindly obey You.  You cared that he went into battle with confidence.  You guided him on a little recon into the enemy camp where he heard the enemy soldiers speaking of a dream that foresaw their own defeat. Gideon knew immediately that You, LORD God would give him the victory!  He was able to return to his camp and confidently follow out Your guidance even when what You told them to do made no sense in man's conventional wisdom!  He obeyed You confidently and courageously!  And You gave him a great victory!

Throughout scripture You, LORD God provide Your followers reassurance.

One of the better known stories is that of Thomas.  When the other  disciples told him they had seen You, LORD Jesus, Thomas infamously replied, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John20:25).  Eight days later You, LORD God actually give him that opportunity. 

You provided Mary, most blessed of women, comfort and assurance by having her be comforted and cared for by her cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist.  It had to be incredibly difficult for May, being unmarried and pregnant.  Her cousin, Elizabeth on the other hand was a well-respected married woman,  married to Zacharias, a priest.  Elizabeth's pregnancy also was miraculous. This enabled Elizabeth to relate to Mary and be a help to her.

You, LORD God are a loving and caring God.  Even when I doubt, You love me and will do what You can to reassure me.

I need not let doubt defeat me or drag me down.  Instead it should turn me to You, LORD God.  It should keep me from taking You and all that You provide me for granted.  It should keep me in Your Word - studying and searching for truth and clarity. So, doubting does have its place and that is keeping me looking to You for my help.

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my god , my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower" (Psalm 18:2).

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knows them that trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7).

Thank You, LORD God for being a caring God!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!