Judges

What an interesting book in Scripture. I remember very vividly when I asked one of my good friends what his favorite verse was and he pointed me to Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." I was a little taken aback, but then he explained. It is the true state of humanity. We are not basically good, and without a King over our lives, we do what is right in our own eyes. He said it was a constant reminder to him, to submit himself to the rule of the Lord.

I've always had this bittersweet impression of the book of Judges. It is, at the very least, an unstable book. When you read it, you see mistake after mistake, and even the victories seem short lived. And of course toward the end of the book, some pretty nasty events take place. I think in the past I never felt that the good stories outweighed the bad, and so I just avoided the book in general.

But more recently, my interest has been piqued. It really started with Ehud. Two summers ago I was challenged to do a study on integrity throughout the Bible. I didn't quite know where to start, but I started compiling a list of names. Honestly, I am not entirely sure how Ehud ended up on my list. It wasn't a story I was very familiar with at the time. But as I studied this man, and how God used him to deliver Israel, I was captivated. Ehud, the left handed man whom God used to deliver Israel by His right hand. It has constantly served as a reminder to me of the way God works.

And then there was Gideon. Dear Gideon--I had very often heard him preached, but I had seldom understood the scope of his story. He taught me the grace of the Lord. I had heard repeatedly that "sign seekers" lack faith and that the true disciples of God depend only on His Word. But then there's Gideon. He was a man instilled with fear and doubt, but the Lord called him a man of valor! His first step of faith was to tear down the altar of Baal, but he was so afraid, and he so little trusted the Lord, that he did it at night. When God called him to fight the Midianites, he asked for two signs! And God gave them to him! More than that, one of my favorite parts of the story is when God tells him, "I will deliver the camp into your hands, but if you are afraid, then go down with your servant and you will hear a sign." And Gideon, rather shamelessly, goes down to the camp to hear the sign! God is so patient with him! He never discarded Gideon, saying, "You lack faith in me!" He knew who Gideon was. He chose Gideon, and then gently led him.

Now I am reading through the book of Judges for devotions and what I see is a battle--a battle between flesh and grace. God had done so much for His people Israel. He had brought them up out of captivity, driven out their enemies before them, and now given them this land! And yet we see their hearts constantly straying. The flesh kicks in: with fear, or pride, with a lack of faith, or disobedience, with compromise, and idolatry, with a lust for power, or simply misunderstanding the character of God! But none of these things intimidate our Lord. Throughout the book He seeks out those He has chosen (worthy or unworthy) to be vessels of His grace! Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jair, Jephthah, Manoah and his wife, and Samson.

Several verses come to mind:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin line any longer in it?...Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom 6:1-4)

"I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Gal 5:16

"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Rom 7:22-24

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Rom 8:1-2 

And thus, as I have been walking my own path in a new land, I find the book of Judges encouraging. Because I myself am at war between flesh and grace. But I see such a strand of hope throughout Judges. And it isn't just that the people of Israel can hope in a faithful God! God has hope for His people! He sees the hearts of those who are faithful to Him and He uses them!

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9

My God is a god who uses the weak to deliver!

The Gem State

A bit of a blog about the Gem State (Idaho), which has become my state of residence!

It is cold up here, but not oppressively cold, although we did go through a pretty intense six weeks after Christmas in which the temperature dropped below zero and often didn't go above 22. :(

I am proud to say I showed remarkable resilience in the harsh conditions. I believe I am picking up some "winter savvy." It is a truth universally acknowledged (in Idaho) that there is a wrong way to do winter. I am actively avoiding this wrong way and pursuing the right way. Some of the basic principles are getting out of the house (even if it is cold), participating in community events, warm drinks, warm coats, HOT SPRINGS, and exercise. Did I mention hot springs?

Apparently Idaho is pretty volcanic. I didn't realize it at first because I've never heard of any volcanoes in the area. Naive? Maybe. There are several impressive mountain ranges, and apparently beneath these ranges lies secret pockets of magma that heat the local water. Okay, I'm not a geologist. All I know is that there are probably at least a dozen natural hot springs within several hours of me. Surprisingly, I have never been. But Elliot and Ali took me :) It was sublime. You see, I had long heard of these hot springs and had been reluctant to go because of the getting in and getting out part. I don't care if the water is steaming hot! You still have to get out! But I was mistaken. Because as I sat for minutes under a small waterfall of hot shower temperature water and gazed at the snow covered mountains around me, I felt perfectly content. And then as I stepped out of the waterfall and stood in the open air, dressed in only my swim suit, and my body created a  pillar of steam, rising into the winter air, I realized that I didn't feel a bit cold, and it made me feel powerful!!

Of course, you can't stand outside the water and remain warm for too long. But still, I enjoyed spending an hour or two defying the winter in my swimsuit, surrounded by warmth.

But that's only a part of Idaho. :) A large majority of the valley is filled with farmlands and I always marvel how the snow makes the brown furrows of earth look beautiful. But even when the snow melts, Idaho is beautiful. My sister and brother in law took me off-roading down by the Snake River. The deep blue river was contrasted by golden sage brush, red tinted shrubs, and the deep brown of canyon walls.

The people of Idaho are a very interesting sort. You have your legitimate cowboys and farmers who wouldn't venture in to Boise if their lives depended on it. You have a large population of people who used to live in Southern California. You have a good number of hipsters who hang out in the Seattle-Portland influenced coffee shops that are to be found all over. Then there are the outdoorsmen, the migrant workers, and the average local Idahoan who has lived here their whole life and never been on an airplane.

But here are two things that will help you round out the picture in your head: (read carefully)





And finally...

I was informed today that it was a collector in Idaho who bought out all the guns in the Bond family estate!!

Yes. Of course it was. (From Skyfall-which I haven't seen yet)