Lent is a time for change

I am in the middle of an epic internal conflict, wringing my hands and crying, “What to do? What to do?”

Why the drama? My last two Lenten reflections left me looking through the glass darkly, wondering what’s in store for me. I’m determined to follow Jesus, to not be one of those who shrug and turn away, sorrowful but unwilling to let go of the things I know in favor of the things that could be.

This week I’ve been on Spring Break vacation but work demands have mired me in a sea of angst as I’ve struggled with some personnel challenges. This is not an enjoyable part of my role. It is not spiritually rewarding. Employment as a whole though, I must admit, is financially rewarding. It is nice to have income. As much as I dream of making a living through other means, I do not think any of the alternatives I have in mind would be nearly as lucrative.

Ah, lucre, the money…. Is that what I’ve become? A lover of money? No one in scripture who loves money is able to give themselves wholly to Christ. It is easier to wedge a camel through the eye of a needle, right? Am I clinging to employment as a way of avoiding the risk of discipleship? Can I be a disciple while remaining in my current role?

Today I took a leap of faith and paid for 3 years worth of a new domain: FGHart.com. Now I face the challenge of setting it up and putting it to good use. I’m praying for God to grant me singleness of mind and faithful obedience to His will. (2 Chronicles 30:12)

Lent is a time to repent and heed God's call

We are all called to repent and we are called to follow Jesus. When we repent, first we (probably) feel guilt or remorse for our misdeeds, then (ideally) we turn away from the “bad” behavior and move towards more noble pursuits.

I’m reminded of two encounters recorded in the Gospels. In one (Matthew 19, Mark 10, Luke 18), Jesus encounters a “good” man. This man, a successful leader in his community, runs up to Jesus, falls on his knees and says, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus points out that only God is good. Then, he asks the man if he knows the Commandments.

The man responds, “Of course! I know the commandments and I always obey them! I have since I was a child.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. He said, “That’s great! There’s only one thing left for you to do. You must sell everything you own and give the proceeds to the poor. Then, follow me.”

The man’s face fell and he went away sad, because he had many possessions. He turned away from Jesus; he walked away from what he was called to do.

In a separate encounter (Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5), Jesus met a Tax Collector. With the label “Tax Collector” we know he must have been considered a “bad” man. Jesus came by the tax booth (where the man was sitting) and said, “Follow me.”

The man got up, left everything and followed Jesus.

Later Jesus declared, “I have not called the righteous, but the sinners to repentance.” So, if only God is righteous then we can conclude we fall into the category of those called to repentance.

Lent is a time of reflection and repentance. It is a time for considering that which separates us from God and, once identified, turning away from those things and turning toward Him, leaving everything to follow Jesus.

A friend of mine pointed out that my personal struggle with managing time is an opportunity for me. For Lent, she suggested, I should turn away from the clock, from unanswered e-mails, dirty dishes, laundry and other demands in order to spend time in prayerful meditation, devotion and worship. More specifically, I am devoting more intentional time pursuing God's call for me.

Q: What are you doing for Lent?

Lenten considerations

Jesus told his disciples, I am the Bread of Life; whoever eats of my flesh and drinks of my blood will have eternal life. This startling disclosure came shortly after the miraculous feeding of five thousand with five loaves of barley bread and two small fish. The crowd of people gathered there called him a prophet and wanted to make him king.

Jesus withdrew from the crowd, walking on rough waters to join his Twelve disciples in boat crossing the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. At the synagogue Capernaum the crowd caught up with him.

Jesus told them, “Don’t work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life, food that the Son of Man will give you.”

They responded, “What should we do to perform God’s works?”

Jesus answered, “To believe in the one He has sent.”

So they asked, “What sign will you give so that we can believe you? After all, our ancestors ate manna during their wilderness wanderings, as it is written ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus clarified, “It isn’t Moses who gives bread from heaven, but my Father who now offers you the true bread from heaven, giving life to the world.”

They said, “Always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger or thirst. Though you’ve seen me in action, you still don’t believe. Everyone the Father gives me will come to me and I will never drive them away, for I have come to do His will. This is the will of the one who sent me; that I shall lose none that he has given me but raise them up at the last day. My Father’s will is that everyone who looks at the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life and I will raise them up at the last day.

Jesus’ followers, devoted though they were, found this claim hard to swallow.

Jesus reiterated his promise of eternal life four more times and the people continued to grumble. He then spelled out the promise which is a core tenant of Christian faith. He told them, “Eat my flesh, drink my blood – the true food and drink, the true bread that came down from heaven, the source of eternal life.”

Many of his disciples turned away in response to this difficult message. He asked the Twelve, “Don’t you want to leave also?”

Simon Peter responded, “Where would we go? You offer the words of eternal life. We have come to know you are the Holy One of God.”

As a disciple of Jesus Christ we are called not just to follow him but to not turn away from him when we face the challenges put before us. Lent is a time of discipline and quiet introspection. Don’t turn away from the challenges of life, but embrace those challenges. Remain steadfast. God is calling you to eternal life.

Sunday's Study - Judges 21: Wives for the Benjamites

After wiping out all but 600 of the Benjamite tribe, the remaining Israelites felt remorse and wept for their loss. Then they decided they needed to find wives for the Benjamites. Since none of the people of Jabesh Gilead joined the battle with the Benjamites, and the punishment for abdicating responsibility was death, they wiped out all of the men and women of Jabesh Gilead, sparing only the 400 women (girls) who were virgin. The remaining 200 Benjamite men seized their wives from the girls of Shiloh who were joining the annual festival of the Lord.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. (Judges 21:25)

Indeed these were lawless times.

Sunday's Study - Judges 20: Israelites battle the Benjamites

The lawlessness of the times was evident in the vile behavior of the men of Gibeah, a town of the tribe of Benjamin. A concubine was brutally raped and subsequently died. Her husband, a Levite, divided her corpse and sent pieces to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Israelites united against the offending tribe of Benjamites, who gathered together to defend their own.

The details of the battle can be read here.

Sunday's Study: Judges 19 - a Levite and his Concubine

Judges 19 tells the story of a Levite and his concubine. A man and a woman. Since she's referred to as his "concubine" she's probably of lower social status but she is his wife. And we're told she's unfaithful. She goes home to her daddy and her husband, the Levite, comes after her. After spending some time at his father-in-law's house the Levite collects up his things, including his concubine, and heads home to the hills of Ephraim. When night falls he seeks lodging in the town of Gibeah in the land of Benjamin.

Gibeah, a town of fellow Israelites, should be friendly and hospitable. But no one invites them in. Finally, as they sit in the town square pondering their options, someone approaches them and welcomes them into his home. But the hospitality of the town ends there. Soon the men of the town are banging on the door, demanding the Levite come out so they can rape him. Instead, the host offers his virgin daughter and the concubine. His virgin daughter. This is reminiscent of the story of Sodom.

This tragic tale reveals the lawlessness of the time and sets the stage for the eventual judgment of the Benjamites by the rest of Israel. I'm moved to tears by the fate of the concubine.

Next week we'll look at the consequences of the Levite's decision to mail his dead wife's body to the 12 nations of Israel.

Sunday's Study: Judges 18 - Micah and the Danites

Micah's world is rocked when the Danites pass through and persuade his personal priest, an egotistical greedy young Levite, to leave Micah's household and join them in their takeover of the Sidonians' territory.

Micah is lost without his priest and his idols. How about you?

Sunday's Study: Judges 17 - Micah and his idols

Micah lived in a time when lifestyle choices where "anything goes" ... maybe not unlike today. He chose to set up a shrine (including idols) in his home. He hired a priest to make it legitimate. The priest's greed allowed him to set aside what is right regarding proper worship and obedience to God's will.


Today there are a lot of people who consider themselves believers yet they set aside what is right regarding proper worship and obedience to God's will. Their idols may not be images or objects of worship - their idols may be self-serving ideals they keep in their hearts. Just because it feels good and has been legitimized by some authority, doesn't make it sanctioned or sanctified by God.

Sunday's Study: Judges 16 - Samson & Delilah

Samson, a man of God, was clearly foolish when it came to women. After his brief, tragic marriage and his rendezvous with a prostitute, he met and fell in love with Delilah - yet another Philistine woman. His destiny was to be the beginning of the end for the Philistines. Samson is a reminder that God uses us all through His strength and our weakness. Samson had a weakness for women and he was weak with women. Or maybe his weakness was his ego.

After 3 times of Delilah asking how to tie him up and subdue him and 3 times demonstrating her intention to do just that, he finally (on the 4th round) tells her the secret of his strength - to his own undoing.

When God was not with him, he was overtaken. Later, when he prayed for God to be with him, his strength returned. He is called out in Hebrews as a man of faith. His faith ultimately enabled him to fulfill God's will for him. That is all that any of us can hope for.

Sunday's Study: Judges 15 - Samson

If you watched the video for Chapter 14, you can jump about 2 1/2 minutes into today's lesson. Today's portion of Samson's biographer required some of the history previously covered.

I'm struck by how wonderful God is. We're created in His image, but because we're not God we're flawed. We're blessed and cursed with free will. We're so darn HUMAN!!!

Samson is an excellent example of an imperfect human who is used as an instrument by God. Samson takes the Israelites on their first step in the journey to break free of the Philistines.

Samson's life continues following his failed marriage. When he attempts to reconcile with his wife, he discovers she's been handed off to his best man! He strikes back, attacking the Philistines by burning their harvest. They retaliate. He retaliates. Life goes on.


When the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon us we can do awesome things. The hard part is avoiding sin during those lulls when we're not feeling particularly moved by the Spirit.

Sunday's Study: Judges 14 - Samson's Marriage

In Judges 13 we are introduced to Samson's parents, Manoah and an unnamed woman. In Judges 14 we are introduced to Samson and his bride (who also goes unnamed. Did you know he was married before he met Delilah?).

Samson spots a woman in Timnah and decides she's "the one". He insists his parents arrange their marriage, even though she was a Philistine. This was all part of God's plan, as foretold by the angel in Chapter 13 - that Samson would "begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." Does it seem strange that Samson marries a Philistine in order to deliver his people from the Philistines?



It is good to know that God is sovereign in all things. We don't need to know or understand His plan, we just need to submit to the power of the Spirit.

Sunday's Study: Judges 13 - Samson's Conception & Birth

In Judges 13, Manoah's sterile wife (never named) encounters an angel of the Lord who foretells of the conception and birth of Samson. Other notable sterile-women-who-became-mothers-after-divine-intervention: Sarah, mother of Isaac; Rebekah, mother of Jacob; Hannah, mother of Samuel; Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.

The angel instructs Samson's parents to raise him as a Nazirite: no alcohol, no unclean food and no haircuts. A Nazirite vow was most often temporary. It was exceptional for parents to commit their child to a lifetime as a Nazirite.

Samson was a member of the Dan tribe. He grew up wandering around the yet-unconquered land they inherited. During his visits to the tribe's army camps, God stirred his heart and moved Samson along the path prepared for him. Although Samson began the journey of deliverance from the Philistines, the journey wasn't completed until the time of David.



Do you feel a stirring in your heart? Are you allowing God to use you as He intends? Your role may be to start something without ever seeing it finished. Be faithful in seeking God's will and be obedient - even if you don't see results.

We may not know how our role fits in, for now...we're all part of a much bigger story.

Sunday's Study: Judges 12 - Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

Today's study wraps up Jephthah's time as judge and his successors Ibzan, Elon and Abdon. It is noteworthy that the text shifts from referring to times of peace under the leadership of the blessed judges, to just highlighting the years of leadership (Jephthah, 6; Ibzan, 7; Elon, 10; & Abdon, 8). Jephthah's time was not peaceful but he was clearly blessed by God.



Next, we'll dive into the story of Samson.

Sunday's Study: Judges 11 - The Story of Jephthah

Today's study is a "redo" of last week's story, only this is a free-form telling of the tale. Watching myself on video is a good exercise. In the future, I will try to reduce the number of "and's," "so's," "basically's," etc. when I'm retelling these stories.

I swear, the Old Testament is better than anything on television. I want to do these stories justice.

Sunday's Study: Judges 11

Judges 11 tells the story of Jephthah, the illegitimate son of Gilead. Jephthah was a mighty warrior and a natural leader, chased off by his family as a social outcast. In the face of the Ammonites threat of war, the elders of Gilead brought Jephthah home and he was elected judge and made leader of his people.

Jephthah attempts to reason with the king of Ammon fail. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him and he leads the successful charge against the Ammonites, but not before making a foolish pledge to God.



Scholars debate how Jephthah fulfilled his vow - was his daughter sacrificed as a burnt offering or was she set apart for service to God (not killed)? Either way, her future was altered by a promise he made and fulfilled. The message for us is clear: Don't make foolish promises based on future events.

"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God." (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

God desires your obedience now, not your promise of future obedience. When facing life's challenges, don't make deals with God. Trust Him, the Judge, to look out for your best interests. Demonstrate your faith. If it's meant to be, it will be.

I'd rather trust and have things not work out according to my desires than to be explaining to God "I didn't mean it" when I promised something rash in the heat of some personal battle. How about you?

(8/4: I just read Proverbs 20:25 and couldn't help but add it to this post, considering how remarkably apropos it is: "Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost.")

Sunday's Study: Judges 10

Today's study touches on Tola (judged 23 years) and Jair (judged 22 years). Perhaps "minor judges" but representing the diversity of the leaders God used. After Jair died, the Israelites again served other gods - the Baals and Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the Philistines.


The chapter ends with the Israelites in a stand-off with the Ammonites, searching for a leader to launch the attack against their enemy and become the head of the Gileadites.

Sunday's Study: Judges 9

The stories of Gideon and his son Abimelech are centered in the Book of Judges. Gideon offers a stellar example of the leaders God chose to rescue his children and Abimelech is the antithesis, offering a stark contrast in behavior. It's worthy of mention that in telling Abimelech's tale, Gideon is only referred to by his nickname, Jerub-Baal (because he broke down Baal's altar) rather than by his given name. Abimelech was a discredit to his father in many ways, not the least of which was using silver from the Baal temple and paying mercenaries to follow him.



In the end, God repaid Abimelech for his wickedness.

Sunday's Study: Judges 8

Gideon's story continues with his final battle with the Midianites and his pursuit of kings Zebah and Zalmunna. When he asked the people of Succoth and Peniel for aid and they declined, he promised vindication which he later delivered.

For reasons that are not explained, Gideon melts down some of the plunder from his battles and creates an ephod - an idol. It's a mystery to me because Gideon is presented as a righteous man, doing right by God and his people. After successfully liberating the Israelites he turns them down when they ask him to become their ruler. "The LORD is your ruler," he says. Yet he creates an idol which becomes a snare to his family.

Are there idols in your life that snare you and draw you away from wholly worshiping God? Do you let the TV or computer rule your life - taking time away from prayer, worship and study? How about shopping or working?

Where do these activities fit into your life? How you spend your time is a reflection of what you value. None of us is perfect, but we should strive to be who God wants us to be. It takes effort, no doubt, and diligence as we guard against things (and behaviors) that can become a snare for us.

God, help us to keep You as the center of our focus. Protect us from anything and everything that traps us and distracts us. By Your grace,
Amen.

Sunday's Study: Judges 7

In today's study we learn of Gideon's battle with the Mideanites. God used 300 of the 32,000 Israelites to defeat the mulitudes (Mideanites, Amalekites and all of the other eastern people) who'd gathered in the valley "as thick as locusts". God tells Gideon that in order to ensure humility in the Israelites, He reduced the number of warriors going into battle. Sometimes we may have our own "forces" reduced in order to ensure that we remain humble and rely on God in all things. And to ensure we give credit to God for all that we are able to accomplish.


God, our Father, perfectly equips us for all we are called to do.

Happy Father's Day!

Sunday's Study: Judges 6

Judges tells repeatedly of the Israelites cyclical relationship with God: doing evil, falling into the Pit, crying out for mercy, being redeemed by God's grace. In Judges 6, God sends Gideon, the "least" family member of the smallest tribe to defeat the Mideonites. Although a mighty warrior, Gideon is humble and faithful. He obeys God's call...albeit after asking for some "proof" that God is who He says He is.


Gideon is a great example for us today. God is who He says He is. He knows His plans for us. He calls us to be obedient and equips us for anything/everything He asks us to do. Take for example...a video post. Not my cup of tea, I assure you. It would have been easy for me to skip this post today. I had so many interruptions, distractions, personal challenges. Yet, like Gideon, I carried forth in faith. When God says "go" it's best to go.

God bless,