July 21

JUDGES 4
As an English Literature major in college, I took a class on short story. One of the books which we had to read was John Barth’s Lost in the Funhouse. “Barth said that the traditional modes of realistic fiction had been used up, but that this exhaustion itself could be used to inspire a new generation of writers.” The stories certainly reflected his pessimism about life. One of his ‘short stories’ was a collection of pictures with captions. One picture was a classic painting of Jael’s killing of Sisera, which Barth captioned, “Scenes of domestic violence.” I was astonished that the graduate assistant, who taught the class, was apparently unaware that the picture was a scene from the Scripture. Barth’s awareness of the source of the picture could color one’s interpretation of what Barth was trying to communicate.
What is God trying to communicate concerning His glory by including this story of Barak, Deborah and Jael? Once again the children of Israel had turned from the glory of the Lord. His discipline was to subject them to the Canaanite king of Hazor. His army, commanded by Sisera, had cutting edge technology of 900 iron chariots. Without chariots, Israel’s army would be cut to ribbons as the horses rumbled through Israel’s ranks. Barak was reduced to rallying his troops to the top of Mt. Tabor, where the steep slopes rendered the iron chariots useless as a weapon of warfare. But what good would sitting on top of the mountain do? It was in the valleys where crops would grow best. In the valleys they were subject to the iron chariots. Sisera was not so stupid as to try to mount a campaign going up hill with his chariots. Barak was not so stupid as to try to mount a campaign in the valley plain. They were at a stand still. God brought a deliverance in such a way that it was clear that He had brought the victory.
One commentator has suggested that the way the Lord brought the victory was to bring drenching rains which softened the soil. The heavy iron chariots became mired in the mud rendering the chariots useless. Barak’s 10,000 men were then able to come in on foot and annihilate Sisera’s army. Might be, however God did it, Barak knew that God had done it. He received no glory. Even the execution of the general was accomplished by a woman, just as Deborah had prophesied.
In our lives when we walk away from the Lord, He brings discipline into our lives. When we call out to him for deliverance, He brings it. He always does it in a way which will increase His glory. Sometimes He chooses to do it in such a way that breaks away from traditional modes of displaying His glory which have been used up. He uses that exhaustion to reveal His glory to a new generation. In Sisera’s generation it meant bringing the final deliverance through a house wife, a certainly unexpected source. What will be the next source of revealing His glory in my life or in this generation? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Approaching Mount Tabor from the southeast

This picture is taken from Megiddo looking east. The mountains on the left have Nazareth nestled in them. The dome-shaped mountain in the middle is Mt. Tabor. The mountain on the right is the hill of Moreh. The Kishon River (where Barak gained his victory) finds its headwaters near Tabor and Gilboa and flows through this valley toward the northwest and eventually empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

PSALM 20
The Lord saves His anointed. This Psalm has all the earmarks of what David perhaps prayed over his men and himself before he went into battle with them. God calls us into battle today, not physical battle but spiritual battle. It is His glory to answer, defend, help and strengthen us in the midst of that battle. He seeks to grant our heart’s desire as we seek to fulfill His purpose for us in the midst of that battle. He fulfills our petitions as we rejoice under His banner. Prayer, individual and corporate, becomes the key element in realizing the victory of the Lord in our battle. Some trust in programs in advancing the kingdom of God. Ultimately, programs are like chariots and horses, the top military technology of David’s day. David used chariots and horses, but he trusted in the name of the Lord. We can use programs, but we had better not be trusting in them, rather we had better be trusting in the name of the Lord. True trust will exhibit itself in prayer, corporate and individual. Only in response to prayer is the glory of the Lord revealed. It is in the midst of prayer that His plan is revealed. It is in the midst of prayer that His program is claimed and received. It is in the midst of prayer that His glory is revealed. Lord teach me to pray! Lord teach us to pray! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 46
The zenith of the military might of the USA has passed. A few years ago, only a few could genuinely rival our military power. At one point we were waging warfare on three different fronts. A major reason that we did not finish in Iraq and Afghanistan is because the enemy is not a traditional nation, but rather the enemies are connected groups of guerilla fighters. Traditional armies are rarely effective against guerilla warfare. History has demonstrated that over and over. In the days of Josiah, Egypt was in the zenith of its military might. As Pharaoh Necho traveled the way by the Sea through Israel to face off with Nebuchadnezzar, Josiah led his army out to oppose the military movement. He was a mere flea on a dog as he challenged the might of Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s army appeared to move up the coast like the Nile in flood season. Josiah was easily drowned in the flood.
It would have been easy for the Israelites to despair. Indeed, many did despair. Where is the glory of God when the King who led the nation in revival is so easily defeated? Where is the justice? But what the nation does not recognize is that the Lord is in control of the kings of the nations. He will defeat Pharaoh through Nebuchadnezzar. Pharaoh fell before him. Pharaoh passed by the appointed time like nothing more than a noisy gong. The only reason that Nebuchadnezzar did not immediately sweep down through Palestine to Egypt is that his father died. Nebuchadnezzar had to return home to bury his father and to shore up his rule as head of state of Babylon. His coming was merely delayed a few years. Yes, God was in control. He was shaping the nations to use them as a tool to discipline Israel. Israel still had an idolatrous heart, even though Josiah’s revival had slowed its demonstration for a season.
And the USA? We too can quickly be swept away in the history of the world to become a ‘has been’ in the annals of the world. Once we have ceased to fulfill the purpose for which He raised us up, we will fade like the grass that fades in a drought. And what is that purpose? He has raised us up to be a light of the glory of God to the nations. As we have gradually abandoned that task, we are fading into oblivion. Why? God raises up nations for His own glory. When that nation ceases to reveal His glory through obedience to Him, like Egypt, He removes their place of prominence in the world. The central issue is His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 23:1-15
Perhaps this was why Paul wanted to come to Jerusalem. He wanted just one chance to preach to the Council leaders. Now he has it. Perhaps it wasn't quite as he imagined it in his mind. Perhaps he thought it would be a little more amiable rather than under the careful watch of the Roman Commander. He gets one sentence out and is commanded to be struck by one of them. Paul, always alert to the demands of the law, recognizes the unlawfulness of the command and curses the person for disobeying the law. At which point he is reprimanded for speaking evil of the High Priest. The High Priest must not have been in his clerical robes, for Paul did not recognize him as such. He's done it now. Open mouth insert foot. Is there a way out of this? He uses a Scripture verse and makes an apology. Paul skillfully recognizes that he can use party alliances to proclaim the glory of Jesus. So, he speaks of the resurrection. Immediately, the council splits into an old feud concerning the resurrection. But rather than gaining an opportunity to expound on the resurrection of Jesus, the council degenerates into chaos. The Roman commander is forced to once again to rescue Paul from the clutches of the religious leaders.
It didn't go well to say the least. He didn't really get his opportunity to preach Jesus. Were it not for his Roman citizenship, the Roman commander would probably not have rescued him. Oh well, now there is more time to sit in a cell and think about the problem. I am sure he needed some really strong encouragement. His planned mission trip to Spain is now indefinitely on hold. His need for encouragement is now so strong that the Lord does something that He very rarely does--even for apostles. I mean, the Lord has never personally stood by my bed at night to cheer me up. But then, I've never been in jail for preaching the gospel either. Where do we see the glory of the Lord in this? When we are trying desperately to advance His cause, when we are in our deepest pit, when we have made a mess of things, He is with us. Not only is He with us but He will still accomplish His purpose when we have messed it up. Paul got his desire to bear witness to the council. And now, the Lord is about to give him (a couple of years down the road) an audience with Caesar himself and along the way he will be able to witness to many influential rulers and soldiers, who will in turn spread the gospel as they go. May each one of us be able to open our mouths and insert our feet with such effectiveness! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John