Marching Forth!

Recently I considered how we often wonder in trying circumstances, "What should I do?"  Often we can be focused on what actions we ought to take to relieve our difficult situation.  People who fear God also think about what God holds us responsible to do or what other Christians or friends counsel us to do.  With so many voices and our potentially self-seeking motives, we can experience analysis paralysis and fail to do what we should. I have come to find out by reading the Psalms and other portions of God's word (the Bible) that what we will do is more important that what we should do--for this wise counsel applies to every situation of life.  For instance, knowing we should wash the car because we cannot see out of the windows is not as important as washing the car.  The Bible is packed with revelations and affirmations of God's will for our lives that is as relevant for household chores, business decisions and personal relationships--really everything. When ...

The infamous tragedy of the Levite and his concubine recorded in Judges 19 was a wake-up call that united the nation to stamp out the abominable conduct of Benjamites in Gibeah.  The gang-rape and murder of the concubine by men of Gibeah was savage, and when the Levite posted her corpse in pieces throughout the tribes the whole nation took notice and united to take decisive action.  Such a shocking thing had not been done or even heard of before, and when the Levite sent notices with decomposing body parts of his concubine to all the tribes it illustrated the sinful rot in the nation that literally was slaughtering their citizens. I do not believe the Benjamites or those in Gibeah were worse than any other tribe in Israel, for many times the book of Judges explains how in those days every man did what was right in his own eyes.  Because mankind is naturally sinful, what happened during that fateful night in Gibeah was just a small sample of how wickedness had corrupted ...

One thing I appreciate about the Bible is how true to life it is in the depiction of human character.  While every person has a unique genetic makeup and personality, there is much we naturally share in common because we are of the same kind.  There are aspects of humanity that are as predictable as the force of gravity on earth, like being focused on ourselves.  We want to do what we think is best for ourselves and benefits us the most.  "Looking out for number 1" is a maxim most people live by without ever being taught or taking a course. This self-focused perspective was demonstrated by the men of Dan when they travelled to the house of Micah and spoke with the priest he made for himself--in the hope the LORD would do him good.   Judges 18:5 says in the KJV, " And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous ."  The men did not ask counsel of God for guidance but wanted as...

" The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, b ut diligence is man's precious possession ." Proverbs 12:27 What incredible, divine insight this verse provides!  I imagine if most people were given three chances to name a precious possession of mankind, diligence would not even be a consideration.  Health, wealth, security, love, friends, peace and prosperity would likely be chosen over plodding, dull and monotonous diligence.  God created mankind in His own image, that we would have a mind not only to start tasks but to see them to completion. The verse begins by saying, " The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting ."  We must understand the "lazy man" identified here would likely be seen by others as a go-getter and a dedicated worker.  In Solomon's day (and to this day) people hunted primarily to obtain food for themselves and their family.  Hunting required waking early and sometimes travelling great distances to scout and t...

Samson was a man who, by faith in God, stopped the mouth of a lion, waxed valiant in battle, and out of weakness was made strong.  As I observe the life of Samson in the book of Judges, the majority of the time it seems he took the supernatural strength provided by the Holy Spirit for granted.  Without uttering a prayer or making a request to God, the Holy Spirit came mightily upon him, his bonds put up the resistance of ash, and he defeated numerous Philistines.  After he was made weak as any other man, he cried out to God who remembered and strengthened him to fulfil God's purpose to wreak havoc on the Philistines who oppressed Israel. God's plan and purposes for Samson were revealed when he sought a wife of the Philistines--much to the dismay of his God-fearing parents.   Judges 14:4 says, " But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD --that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had ...

" And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS , for He will save His people from their sins."  22  So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  23  "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us ." Matthew 1:21-23 The almighty God revealed in the Bible is unique from all other gods and people in how personal He is.  He did not remain unseen and unknown in a place far away but chose to draw near to sinful man in the person of Jesus Christ.  People who fear God in both the Old and New Testament knew God was with them--even when He did not assume any physical form--by the amazing deliverances and salvation He wrought and fulfillment of His promises.  When the virgin Mary gave birth to a son in Bethlehem, God kept His word to visit His people in person and provide peace to all people. ...

One awesome quality of God is His sovereignty and immaculate plans only He could possibly conceive and accomplish.  While we try to do our best with our scraps of intelligence and limited ability, He brings into existence what could not be foreseen or predicted.  The birth of Samson is one of those moments in history when God was working to do what His people could not even dream was possible in an unlikely, improbable way. During their marriage, Manoah and his wife had been unable to have children.  This suggests they desired children, did everything in their power to have a child, but as time wore on they were unsuccessful.  One day the wife of Manoah was met by an angel of the LORD who told her she would have a son who would begin to deliver the children of Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, a people who had oppressed them 40 years.  It is remarkable that Manoah and his wife were well aware of their present inability to even fall pregnant, much less d...