The Burning Barley Field

The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one. For we will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; He would devise plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished.

2 Samuel 14:13–14 (HCSB)

There is an example of this very thing in this same chapter. Amnon, one of David’s sons, raped Tamar, one of David’s daughters. Absalom, David’s son, took revenge and killed Amnon. Absalom fled and remained in one of the cities of refuge for three years. He was allowed to return to Jerusalem, but not allowed into David’s presence. After two years of this “house arrest” Absalom wanted to see his father. He sent for Joab, David’s friend, in order to send him as an emissary to plead Absalom’s case before the king—but Joab wouldn’t come to him. Absalom sent for Joab a second time, but still he would not come. Then he resorted to a desperate act, he set Joab’s barley field on fire. Joab came now, but furious: “Why have you done this?”

Absalom explained his actions: “I called for you once, and you wouldn’t respond. I sent for you a second time, but still you ignored me. I had to do something to get your attention. That is why I did this thing.”

What Absalom did was wrong. He was a wicked, conniving, self-centered young man. But what Absalom did is an example of the way God sometimes deals with us, but with a gracious intent. We wander from God. He calls to us, but we ignore His overtures. He patiently calls to us again, but once more we turn a deaf ear to His wooing. So God says, “I love you to much to let you continue ignoring Me,” and He does something to get our attention—He sets our barely field on fire. This He does, not to take away our lives, but order to get our attention and restore our lives to Him. He devises plans so that the one banished from Him does not remain banished. This thing He does may hurt us, but it does not destroy us. In fact, it actually blesses us because it returns us to fellowship with Him.

Has God set your barley field on fire? If so, may you say: “I’ve wandered far away from God, but now I’m coming home.”

David's Repentance

Nathan replied to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing what I consider evil? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife—you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.’

2 Samuel 12:7–10 (HCSB)

We can be so blinded by our selfishness and self-importance. David had been headed down this road for a long time. He had disobeyed God’s specific instructions that kings not accumulate a number of wives. He was feeding his lust, and his ego. He thought that because he was the king he deserved special treatment. He was above the rules. No one is above God’s rules—especially leaders! People follow the example of their leaders. They do what their leaders do. Therefore leaders should strive to live more pure, more holy, more godly.

David was not only an adulterer and a murderer. He was also a thief! He had stolen something from Uriah other than his life. He had stolen his wife.

Wasn’t Bathsheba somehow culpable? Yes. I think we all are. But remember, before she was a wife to her husband she was a subject to the king. This is always the way it is with monarchies. Watch out America!

There are a lot of things about this story we don’t know. God does give us all the details because they’re not important. This story is not about Bathsheba’s sin. It is about David’s. It takes two to tango, but David shouldn’t have been looking for a partner to dance.

David learned a hard lesson—and we should learn from his example: there are consequences for our sin—even kings. Sin will always take you further than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay, and make you pay a price higher than you ever wanted to pay. Sin always leads to a lifetime of regret. Don’t go down this road.

“It’s too late! I’ve already messed up.”

God’s good news is that there is forgiveness. God forgives and cleanses. Confess your sin to God and receive His cleansing. Turn from your sin now! But remember, there are still consequences even for forgiven sin. The baby died and hell came to David’s house.

If you are headed in that direction, stop now!

David's Fatal Flaw

In the spring when kings march out ‹to war›, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he reported, "This is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite."

David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterwards, she returned home.

The woman conceived and sent word to inform David: "I am pregnant."

2 Samuel 11:1–5 (HCSB)

David had been setting himself up for this for a long time. He had been accumulating wives for himself, something God had forbidden kings to do. He had gotten too big for his britches. Like many men at the top of the ladder, he thought he was above the rules. After all, he was king—he made the rules! He could do whatever his little heart desired. David’s arrogance and selfishness got him into the worst trouble of this life. He just thought having Saul chasing him was bad. Having an earthly king on your heels may have been tough at times, but having God on your heels is the unbearable—He is relentless! Who is going to protect you from God?

If David had been where he was supposed to be, leading his army, this would not have happened. This is usually what happens to us before a fall, we’re out of position. Idleness is the devil’s workshop. We do not necessarily have to keep ourselves busy all the time, but we do need to keep ourselves in the position of responsibility assigned to us. Keeping our hands and hearts occupied is the best strategy against temptation. A good offense is the best defense. Keep your heart in pursuit of God.

One of My Favorite Stories!

So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul’s family I can show the kindness of God to?"

Ziba said to the king, "There is still Jonathan’s son who is lame in both feet."

Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet.

2 Samuel 9:3, 13 (HCSB)

The word “kindness” translates the Hebrew chesed, which, to me, is the equivalent of the Greek word charis, translated in New Testament as “grace.” David wanted to show God’s grace to someone of Saul’s household.

Typically one of the first orders of business for a new monarch was to “clean up loose ends.” This meant eliminating all contestants to his power… killing off any challengers to his throne. This, I’m sure, is what Mephibosheth expected. He was hiding out in a place called “Lo-debar,” which meant “without pasture.” It was a distant, deserted, dismal place. No one would choose to live there—unless they were hiding from something. That is exactly what Mephibosheth was doing when soldiers came knocking on his door. The day he dreaded had now arrived.

But instead of finding his head on a chopping block he found himself eating at the king’s table like one of this own sons!

Oh yes, and I have not mentioned he was handicapped. In a hasty get-away his nurse dropped him. Both his feet were broken and not properly set. The bones had healed, but not cleanly. Hence he was crippled in both his feet.

This is a picture of the Christian. We are Mephbosheth in this story. We are the ones crippled by our parent’s hasty attempt to run away from God. We are the ones living in Lo-debar, a deserted place, hiding from God. We will not come to God on our own. We expect the worst from Him—Divine judgment. Faithful servants must come looking for us with tidings of good news! They must carry us by prayer and faith into the King’s presence, the only place where we can experience God’s favor. We are afraid, but how quickly does perfect love cast away all fear! We bow—poor, undeserving sinners, spiritual cripples incapable of doing anything for God at all—but we rise as sons of the King! We experience the amazing grace of God! From that day forward we sit at the King’s table like the King’s own Son, enjoying the bounty of His glory.

I am Mephibosheth—and happy to be him! Are you?

One Way To Do God's Work

When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled. Then the LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. David was angry because of the LORD’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place an Outburst Against Uzzah, as it is today. David feared the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" So he was not willing to move the ark of the LORD to the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

2 Samuel 6:6–10 (HCSB)

The ark represented the presence of God. David wanted to the ark in Jerusalem, near him and in the midst of his people.

David made a big show of moving the ark. He obviously thought that if you move God it should be done with great fanfare and much hoopla.

I imagine the road they used had deep ruts. When the cartwheels dropped into one of these ruts it jolted the cart. Uzzah instinctively reached to steady the ark. Instantly God struck him dead.

The ark itself was not to be touched by human hands. There were two poles in the feet of the ark to carry it. Because the ark symbolized God’s presence it also represented God’s extreme holiness. God’s holiness cannot be defiled by human hands.

This tragedy was completely avoidable. Had David read the Scripture and followed God’s instructions this would not have happened. The ark was to be carried only one way—on the shoulders of the priests.

Here is the lesson for us: when we try to do God’s work the way we think is best we make a mess; but when we do God’s work His way there is blessing.

There is only one way to do God's work that succeeds: His way.

Our Help In A Tight Spot

David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over ‹the loss of› their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

1 Samuel 30:6 (HCSB)

Ever found yourself in a difficult situation? Sure you have! We all have. What do you do? Run in circles, scream and shout? Suck you thumb? Go into depression? Withdraw? Come out fighting? Blame someone else? Make excuses?

What do you do? David found himself in a tight spot. He had led these men in many battles, to many victories, but now they were turning against him. They were sick because of their loss. David had lost too! But David turned to the Lord for help, and the Lord strengthened him.

He sought the Lord’s guidance, and the Lord told him what to do. David and his men pursued the Amalekites, caught them, destroyed them, and got their families and herds back. David was very grateful, as indeed he should have been.

We all find ourselves between a rock and a hard place occasionally. If we will look to the Lord for help He will strengthen us and guide us. we will find, like David, that our God is more than sufficient.

Our Lives Tucked Away

“When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord’s life will be tucked safely in the place where the LORD your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies’ lives like ‹stones› from a sling.”

1 Samuel 25:29 (HCSB)

These are the words of Abigail to David. I think we can also take them as the word of God to us. The Bible says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected” (Proverbs 18:10). In our daily activities we are not defenseless. The Lord is a shield. He protects us from things we don’t even know about. Maybe one day, after we have been in heaven for a long time, God will show us all the times He protected us from harm. Jesus said to Peter:

“Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).

Maybe one day the Lord will show us all the times Satan came to Him asking to sift us like wheat, but God forbade him—or He strengthened us.

It is enough to know that our lives are in His hand everyday. He protects us. nothing can come against us without His approval—and that which receives His approval is for our good.

Jesus said, “And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He is with you and protects you today.

David's Sword and Saul's Robe

When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. David and his men were staying in the back of the cave, so they said to him, "Look, this is the day the LORD told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’" Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. Afterwards, David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

He said to his men, "I swear before the LORD: I would never do such a thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed. ‹I will never› lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed."

With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul.

Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.

1 Samuel 24:3–7 (HCSB)

On this day David showed his integrity. He revealed the fact that there was something different about him. He was cut from different cloth than Saul.

He could have put an end to Saul, but it would not have been an end to his troubles. David waited on the Lord to exact vengeance on his enemies, and eventually the Lord did.

We probably all have enemies. Remember this: if you live by the sword you will die by the sword. If you shed man’s blood then by man your blood will be shed. Keep your cool and keep your integrity. Be patient and wait on the Lord to handle your enemies. In His time He will. In the mean time, you pursue God’s kingdom.

A Mountain Between

Saul went along one side of the mountain and David and his men went along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. Then a messenger came to Saul saying, "Come quickly, because the Philistines have raided the land!" So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to engage the Philistines. Therefore, that place was named the Rock of Separation. From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

1 Samuel 23:26–29 (HCSB)

There was more than a mountain of rock that separated Saul and David. There was a mountain of jealousy, suspicion, resentment and ill will.

Sin separates man from God. Sin is not only a mountain between man and God, it is a mountain between man and his fellow man and between man and himself. Sin separates man God, man from his fellow man, and man from himself.

Sin always brings disintegration. If not for sin man would be a fully integrated personality. He would be synchronized with God, himself and his fellow man. But sin is a monkey wrench in the plan.

David was only delivered from Saul by a divine miracle. Had those Philistines not shown up David and his men would have been destroyed. Saul was gaining on David. He had David out-manned and out-gunned. Then God showed up. He sent those Philistines to distract Saul.

Like David, the only thing that can deliver us from being overtaken and destroyed by our sin is a miracle. That miracle was the cross. The cross of Jesus separates us from judgment.

Men and Friendship

Jonathan once again swore to David in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

1 Samuel 20:17 (HCSB)

When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.

1 Samuel 20:41 (HCSB)

Is this wrong? Is there something wrong with a man loving another man?

The answer is “No!” But we need to qualify that answer. This was not homosexual love. This was not something perverted. These were two men who were manly in every way. They were warriors. They were champions. They were godly. They were fully heterosexual.

These two men were friends. The King James says that the “soul” of Jonathan was “knit” to the soul of David. Their souls were literally “tied” together. This is a close bond of friendship—nothing funny or perverted about it. It was holy and wholesome.

This is a kind of friendship that is missing from our culture today. Much of the friendship between men to day is shallow. We fail to experience this deeper kind of friendship because of ignorance and fear. We do not know that it can exist. We have been taught that for two men to love each other is wrong and twisted. We build walls up against it. The consequence is that most men do not experience this kind of friendship with another man, and we are the poorer for it!

I pray that God will give us men the wisdom to know that we need friends. We need real men friends. There is a bond of friendship that can exist between two men that will strengthen them and make them better men without harming their manhood. There is this holy friendship that is not perverted and sinful. The truth is that every man needs a true friend just as David needed Jonathan. I pray that God gives each of us men a friend just like this and that each of us will be a friend like this.

A note to guys: I'd like to hear from you on this one. What are your thoughts?

David Hated by Saul

Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.

1 Samuel 18:28–29 (HCSB)

Where did I get the idea that if I lived for God I’d have no enemies? David’s enemy was the king of Israel!

Living for God is no guarantee that things are always going to go our way and everyone is going to love us and admire us. Jesus said, “You will be hated for My name’s sake.” There will be hated by some people for no other reason than the fact that people call us “Christians.”

The reality is that some people are going to hate you no matter what. In fact, it seems that people are more divided and vindictive today… or maybe I’m just imagining that. So, if people are going to despise you anyway, it seems best that they hate you for doing the right thing.

Don’t be a jerk. Saul hated David, but David did not return the sentiment. He simply went on about his business the best he could. Saul hated him because God blessed him. Let us live for God, do the best we can, and ask God to give us the fortitude not only to know and do the right, but to endure—and even love—those who despise us for doing it.

God Looks At the Heart

1 Samuel 16:7 (HCSB)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart."

God had told Samuel that He had rejected Saul as king. Now He was going to select a new king. He sent Samuel the prophet to anoint this king.

Samuel went to the town of Bethlehem. There he met the family of Jesse. Jesse’s sons came before Samuel. The firstborn son was an impressive young man. Samuel thought in his heart: “This must be the one!”

The Lord’s response to Samuel was this verse. Man is impressed with appearances. We are impressed with credentials, achievements, beauty and success. But the Lord does not look at these things. He measures a man on the basis of what is the inside. David was young and inexperienced, but God knew what was in his heart. God knew what David was capable of achieving. Most importantly, God knew that David was a man after His own heart. Out there in the lonely fields guarding his father’s flock David spent his time seeking the Lord.

I think God looks in our hearts and sees the same thing. I think we are all capable of things beyond our wildest imagination, if we are obedient to the Lord. We could all “charge hell with a water pistol” if we allow the Lord to control our lives.

God looks at your heart. What does He see?

Partial Obedience Equals Complete Defiance

1 Samuel 15:19 –22 (HCSB)

So why didn’t you obey the LORD? Why did you rush on the plunder and do what was evil in the LORD’s sight?"

"But I did obey the LORD!" Saul answered. "I went on the mission the LORD gave me: I brought back Agag, king of Amalek, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites.

The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder—the best of what was set apart for destruction—to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

Then Samuel said:

Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the LORD?

Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,

to pay attention ‹is better› than the fat of rams.

Many years ago I heard a sermon on this passage. I have never forgotten the title or the theme of that message. The title was: “The Peril of Partial Obedience.” The title itself was enough to convict me! The theme was: “Partial obedience is complete disobedience.”

You may have qualms that God commanded Israel to attack the Amalekites and completely wipe them out. I confess it bothers me—until I remember that this was part of God’s original order. Before entering Canaan He had commanded the Israelites to destroy all the people in the land. You remember they failed to complete the assignment. The Amalekites were some of those who should have been destroyed but still remained. They were a reprobate people, even sacrificing their children to their pagan gods. They were a cancer in the land that, if allowed to remain, would infect the whole nation of Israel. They needed to be thoroughly expunged.

Many of us are infected with Saul’s plague. We think that if we do most of what God says that sufficient. But partial obedience indicates a deeper and more dangerous problem. God sees it for what it really is and calls it by its true names: rebellion and defiance (vs. 23). We obey the part that is convenient, or the part that we can manage on our own. We leave off the part that requires faith and submission. But that little leaven will spread to the whole lump of dough. Disobedience always grows when left unchecked. The only safeguard against rebellion spreading is to obey all of God’s command.

Eli's Blunder

1 Samuel 3:18 (HCSB)

So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, "He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks is good."

Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas were evil men. They defiled God’s sanctuary. They exploited their office. They took advantage of the people they were called to serve. Eli knew about these things but did not stop them. Apparently he was one of those passive dads who do not like confrontation. He gave his sons a little lecture, but it was too little too late. By this time they were out way of control.

God held Eli accountable for his lack of action. Judgment was pronounced on his entire family. God revealed to the boy Samuel what He was going to do. Eli made Samuel tell him everything. His response to this catastrophic news was: “He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks best.”

Raising boys is a little different than raising girls. Both need lots of love and affirmation. But boys will push the limits. Boys will take risks. It’s one thing to take a risk with your own life and limb, but it’s another thing altogether when we take risks with our purity, our integrity, our reputation, and with other people. Eli should have confronted those boys. If the stories he heard were confirmed he should have disciplined them severely. Problem is that he had already taught them through his actions that they could get away with anything. The punishment should fit the crime. But children must be taught that there are consequences for their actions.

Better to whip them with a belt now than bail them out of jail later. You can’t bail them out of hell!

The Requirement for Usefulness

1 Samuel 2:26 (HCSB)

By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

This is a great way to pray for our children. Pray that they will grow in favor with both God and man. Pray they will have integrity before God and man.

1 Samuel 2:30 (HCSB)

"Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says:

‘Although I said

your family and your ancestral house

would walk before Me forever,

the LORD now says, "No longer!"

I will honor those who honor Me,

but those who despise Me will be disgraced.

Eli was the priest in Shiloh. His two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked men. Eli failed to discipline them. God took the priesthood away from Eli and his family and gave the job to Samuel.

This is a warning to any of us who serve the Lord. Our calling is not a guarantee that God will “use us no matter what.” No, He will not. He will remove us from our place of service and replace us with someone who will honor Him.

The requirement of continued usefulness is that we remain obedient to the One who called us.

Hair and the Holy Spirit

Judges 16:20 (HCSB)

Then she cried, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" When he awoke from his sleep, he said, "I will escape as I did before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Samson’s strength was related to his hair. When his hair was cut he was helpless.

Our strength is related, not to hair, but to the Holy Spirit. He indwells every born-again Believer. But sin grieves Him. Our disobedience stifles Him. Our rebellion dethrones Him. We live in sin and think there is no consequence. “My sins are under the blood!” Indeed they are, and they will not be held against us on the Day of Judgment. But our sin grieves the Holy Spirit and pushes Him to the margin of our lives. We sashay forth, thinking we can live as before—teach with power, witness with power, preach with power, pray with power, live with power—but the anointing is gone until the sin is confessed and forsaken.

You cannot make up with human strength what you lack in divine power. Human charisma can only take you so far. Human charm can only take you so far. Human ingenuity can only take you so far. Human intelligence can only take you so far. Human training can only take you so far. Human experience can only take you so far. Human persuasiveness can only take you so far. Human organization can only take you so far.

What we lack in Holy Spirit power we can never make up for in human strength. We are like Samson straining at the grinding wheel, pushing with all our might, and maybe moving things a bit, but going in circles!

We need the power that comes from the Holy Spirit! We must have His anointing at all costs! Sometimes we need to shut down the business until we retrieve the power that makes the business run. We need to open our lives to the examination of the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to search us and expose every sin. We must do a thorough job of confessing and repenting—and making right where necessary. We must accept by faith the cleansing of Christ’s blood (1 John 1:9) and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us again. Then we go out by faith to operate in His power.

Spoiled Samson

Judges 14:1–3 (HCSB)

Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman there. He went back and told his father and his mother: "I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?" But Samson told his father, "Get her for me, because I want her."

Samson was a strong man, but he was a spoiled brat. His father should have said, “Son, you don’t need her; but I’ll give you something you do need”—and then took a belt to him! Samson was probably like this because his parents spoiled him. He was an only child, the son of a barren woman. They probably gave him everything he ever wanted. So he got this also.

There are two lessons here:

First, be careful what you ask for… you just might get it! Samson got the girl he wanted, but she was a pain in the backside. “She cried the whole seven days” of their honeymoon (vs. 17). Whoopee! The Bible says he finally explained the meaning of a riddle to her because “she had nagged him so much” (vs. 17). When Samson left his in-laws he left his new bride behind.

Second, what goes around comes around. Truth is, Samson got what he deserved. The Bible says it like this:

Psalm 7:16 (NKJV)

“His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.”

Samson was a spoiled child who grew into a foolish man. Be careful how you raise your kids. Learn the lessons of Samson.

Getting Your Own Way

In Judges 14 Samson sees a Philistine girl and wants to marry her. This was against the wishes of his father and mother, who wanted him to marry a good Jewish girl. But Samson insisted: “Get her for me, because I want her” (3). The arrangements were made, and Samson got his girl.

She cried all seven days of their honeymoon! What a blessing! She also nagged him to death. The conclusion of the story was that Samson gave her to one of his attendants. I’m sure he was not one of Samson’s friends—or, at least, did not remain one.

The lesson is: Don’t be in a hot haste to get your own way—you just might get it. Getting what you want may not be what you really want. Wait on God. Trust Him. Listen to those who love you.

Mind Your Own Mission

Judges 13:12

Then Manoah asked, "When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and mission be?"

Manoah was the father of Samson. The Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife and told them they would have a son (she was previously barren). Manoah responded by asking the question: "When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and mission be?" The angel did not answer the question. Instead He told Manoah and his wife what they as they should do.

We cannot know God’s plan for our children. Under the Spirit’s direction we can discern their gifts and passions, and we should direct them in this direction. But we cannot know what God has called them to do. That is for them to discover, and for us to support.

But the point here is this: I cannot know what another person’s responsibilities or mission is. This is between them and God. I can only know what my responsibilities and mission are. It is my responsibility to seek God’s will for my life, not anyone else’s. Knowing my own path—and staying on it—is enough to keep me busy!

Mind your own mission. Give your all to what God has called you to do. If that does not take all your time and energy then your own the wrong path!

The Theme of the Bible is Redemption

Jephthah was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. Consequently his brothers drove him away. But when the Ammonites fought against Israel, they needed a strong leader. Jephthah was their man.

Before going out to fight against the Ammonites Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. Strong leaders will sometimes act impulsively. Strong men sometimes do foolish things. If the Lord gave Jephthah victory over the Ammonites he promised to offer the first thing that came out of his house when he got home. He may have been hoping it would be his wife, but instead it was his only daughter. It broke his heart! She went out into the wilderness and mourned for two months. Then she came home to be sacrificed. This is one of the most tragic stories in the Bible (Judges 11).

But it did not have to end this way. In Leviticus 5 there is a sacrifice for just such a sin (Lev. 5:4-10). I believe that if Jephthah had come to the tabernacle, confessed his sin, and offered the required sacrifice—a substitute for his daughter—he would have been released. Obviously he had regard for the Lord but he was ignorant of His Word. Zeal without knowledge is dangerous.

The theme of the Bible is always redemption. Had Jephthah known the Law of God he would have known this, and this story could have had a very different ending.

Ready For Your Time

God began a process of trimming down the size of Gideon’s army. They started with 32,000 men. After the first test 22,000 went home. But 10,000 were still too many in God’s estimation.

Judges 7:2

The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag: ‘I did it myself.’

God will not share His glory with man. He tested them again to get them down to number He wanted.

Judges 7:6–7

The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was 300 men, and all the rest of the people knelt to drink water. The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home."

To kneel a soldier must put his face to the water. He is in a vulnerable position. But to lap a man does not have to face the water. He bends and brings the water to his mouth. This is a disciplined position. The soldier maintains diligence and keeps his eyes “peeled” for the enemy.

God was not trimming the numbers down to the worst, but to the best soldiers He had. If we are to be used by God we must be ready at all times, keeping ourselves prepared, and maintaining discipline. Only that soldier who has remained diligent will be ready when the signal sounds.

Praise for Leaders and Followers

Judges 5:2, 9

“When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, praise the

LORD.

“My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the

people. Praise the LORD!”

These words were spoken by Deborah, one of Israel’s early leaders. God used her to lead the young nation in victory over their enemies.

If anything is going to be accomplished there must be leadership—and follow-ship. There must be a leader with a goal and the ability to inspire people to pursue that goal. There must be people who follow. I think it is John Maxwell who says: “A leader with no one following is just taking a walk.”

Deborah’s goal was freedom from the oppression of the Canaanites. When no one else would step into the role of being the deliverer she did. The result was a great victory.

We need leaders who lead today—desperately. We also need people who step up and volunteer. If progress is going to be made, if change is going to happen, this is how it must be done.

I believe we can fulfill the Great Commission in the next twenty years. But for this to happen there must be leadership. God send us such a leader!