victory

Does it really matter?

I’ve heard it said many times that Good is no respecter of persons. I have to admit I’m not really sure I know what that means, but I know I’ve sometimes wondered why God uses certain people. I think the truth of the matter is that God can use anyone and therefore, he uses anyone that is willing to obey him and doesn’t care who gets the credit.

Deborah is a perfect example of someone that God used that did not have the right qualifications for the job, but was willing to step in and do what God told her to. Deborah was a judge which means that she was equal to Moses in her capacity to decree punishment when the children of Israel broke God’s commandments. She was not a priest, but she was a prophetess which means that God spoke to her directly and revealed his will to her during the time that she was appointed to judge Israel.

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kadesh-Naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor…And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. (Judges 4: 6-8)

Along with David and Samson, Barak is listed as one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 where it says of them:

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (Hebrews 11: 33-34)

Although it was Barak’s faith that got Israel the victory, it was Deborah’s authority that Barak relied on before he entered the battle. So why did Deborah do it? Why did she go with Barak and enable him to become the hero?

And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisea into the hand of a woman. (Judges 4:9)

Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, ended up killing the captain of the host of the Canaanite army by driving a tent peg through his temples while he was sleeping. Does it really matter who drove the tent peg through Sisera’s temples? In God’s eyes, no, he can use a man, a woman, or even a child to accomplish his will and in the case of Jael, he used the wife of one of Sisera’s allies to get the job done. But, I think it mattered to Deborah and even though God is not a respecter of persons, he does respect women and will respond to their petitions just as eagerly as he does the petitions of a man.

Relax, take it easy

I’m not really sure what the Israelites’ lifestyle was like during the time they were settling in the land of Canaan, but I imagine it was a little like when I go camping with my family. We like to tent camp, so we are pretty much out in the open spaces of the campground most of the time. There is little privacy and it is difficult not to get in each other’s way or interact with the campers around us because we are all sharing the common areas. Therefore, most everything happens in public including our emotional upsets and the tension that may develop between us.

A couple of years ago, we had a big family blow out on one of our camping trips and it resulted in so much tension that the trip was cut short because we couldn’t deal with the public airing of our dirty laundry  so to speak and wanted to go back to the safety of our homes where we had four walls to contain things.

Camping among the inhabitants of Canaan had to be challenging for the Israelites. Their presence was a constant reminder that war was inevitable and their track record of annihilating their enemies left no doubt that they intended to conquer every nation within the territory that God had given them to possess. When it says “the land had rest’ (Judges 3:11, 30), during the interim periods of their engagement in warfare, it means there was a period of time when the atmosphere was peaceful, a time when the people were able to relax and take it easy.

When I was growing up, it seemed like our home was always filled with tension, at least it was when one or more of my parents were there. My mom and dad fought constantly and my dad who was an alcoholic had a tendency toward violence. Aside from the fear that was always present in my life, I had a problem with not being able to relax. I was always on the alert for my dad being triggered or my mom having a bad day at work. There was never any relief, even when I was sleeping. I was often awakened by shouts and screams and witnessed my dad beating up my mom on more than one occasion.

For the past 3 1/2 years, I have been living alone and have begun to enjoy the benefit of being able to relax whenever I am at home. I think the rest that came to the land after conflicts were resolved was God’s way of showing the Israelites what things would have been like if they had obeyed him and driven the occupants of the Promised Land out. The 40 years of rest may have been a type of compensation for the 40 years they spent in the wilderness or it may have been how long it took the Israelites to forget that peace and prosperity are a whole lot better than being unequally yoked to someone that believes a marriage license gives him or her the right to treat you like a sex object.

You can go your own way

Being strong can be a Catch 22 of sorts because it’s both a help and a hindrance when it comes to walking with the Lord. To be effective as Christians, we must learn to depend on the Lord, but we must also be able to stand on our own two feet and not cower when we are attacked by our enemy the devil.

The Lord knows our weaknesses and does not expect us to do everything right. In fact, he plans for us to make mistakes and will always be able to account for the choices we make when it comes to accomplishing his will in our lives.

So then, does it really matter if we choose to go to the left instead of the right when we come to a crossroad in our life? Yes, if you would like to avoid some of the pain and suffering you experience in your life. Some people like to travel the hard road and enjoy having challenges on a regular basis. Other people like to take things easy and become discouraged when things get too difficult. Although I hate to admit it, I seem to be one of those people that can’t stand the easy life. If I’m not facing a challenge, I think there is something wrong with me. Getting into trouble is not second nature to me, it’s the only way I know how to handle things. I guess you could say I’m just naturally rebellious and believe me, I know a lot about pain and suffering.

“And it came to pass, when Israel was strong that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out” (Judges 1:28). The word strong here is probably referring to moral strength or courage, but because the Israelites were disobeying God by not driving out their enemies, you could say they were a little to strong, maybe even cocky or as my grandmother used to say, getting a little too big for their own britches. They thought they could handle being the task masters for a change and wanted to make slaves of the Canaanites the way they had been in Egypt. It was a bad decision, one they would regret eventually, but I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time and can relate to their desire to turn the tables and try to even the score.

The most prominent role God has in the universe is creator. It is of course a critical role because if he hadn’t been able to create things, then our world wouldn’t exist and there would be no life as we know it today. I think the role of creator overshadows most of God’s other roles, but by far the role that does not get the attention it deserves is fixer or re-creator. I believe God loves to fix things and that may be why he designed man with a sin nature.

In Joshua 5:9 there is recorded a significant milestone in the development of the nation of Israel that may not seem important unless you look at it from the perspective of fixing a problem. The problem was that after spending hundreds of years in Egypt and becoming slaves to Pharaoh, the Israelites had developed an attitude of reproach toward themselves, they knew that things weren’t right, but they felt helpless and unable to change because they has spent so much time living in a dysfunctional state.

It is natural to feel reproach when things are not right in our lives and because we are created in God’s image, we have a tendency to try and fix things when we feel reproach, but we do not have the same ability God does to make things right. It is like a five year old child that wants to make his own breakfast. When the toast gets burned, he tries to scrape the black stuff off, but it just doesn’t taste right after being burned. In Joshua 5:9 it says, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled the reproach of Egypt from off you.” The use of the words rolled away indicate there is some kind of process involved in removing their reproach, but it doesn’t make sense that God would literally roll away their reproach, so he must be speaking figuratively and is using terminology that will trigger their understanding of what has happened to them. What I believe the LORD was alluding to here was the Israelites reproach being like a large stone that needs to be rolled off the opening of a cistern so that fresh water can be accessed.

Cisterns were very common during the time when the Israelites were settling in Canaan. It was  standard practice to cover the cisterns with large stones that made it difficult to access the water because it was a valuable commodity and in high demand in areas where there was not much rainfall. As in the instance when Jacob rolled the stone from the well’s mouth so that Rachel could water her father’s flock, it was “a feat of unusual strength for one man, because the stone was large” (Note on Gen 29:10, KJV). When an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to confront the Israelites, he reminds them that God had done his part by bringing them out of Egypt into the Promised Land, but they had not done their part, which was to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan, “but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have you done this?” (Judges 2:2).

After I became a Christian, God cleansed me of all my sins an through the blood of Jesus Christ made me perfectly righteous and pure in his sight. All the bad things that had happened in my life up to that point were wiped away from his memory and I had a clean slate in regards to my right standing with him. But, the things that had happened were not wiped from my memory. In fact, it seemed like all the bad things I had done and that had been done to me were more prominent in my memory and I was suddenly aware of what a wretched sinner I was. So, instead of starting a new life and believing that God wanted to bless me, I compromised and got pregnant when I was not married.

“They ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way” (Judges 2:19). The word translated stubborn in Judges 2:19 is derived from the word qâshâh (kaw – shaw´) which means to be dense, tough or severe. “This word marks the restlessness, impatience, petulance, and irritability with which Pharaoh’s course of action was characterized while he was resisting the urgent appeals of both Moses and his own people” (7185). After entering the Promised Land, the Israelites began to act like Pharaoh. As they had once been abused and forced into slave labor, they began to do the same thing to their enemies in Canaan.

I’m not sure why victims take on the characteristics of their abusers, but I think it may be a sort of coping mechanism that helps them to function during times of stress. Because I was raped at a young age, I never had a chance to experience normal sexual behavior. Whenever I was in a situation where I felt someone was attracted to me sexually, my defenses would be triggered and I would immediately take on the role of the aggressor so that I didn’t feel vulnerable and overcome by fear.

When I got married, I was not able to respond to my husband the way a woman normally would. Our sex life was completely dysfunctional and it was one of the reasons our marriage failed. I really feel that the reason I didn’t change in this area after I became a Christian is because I was stubborn. I was harboring resentment over being raped and thought my behavior was justified. Now that I have been divorced almost 13 years, I can see that I was only hurting myself by being stubborn and wish that I had been able to overcome my fear and recover from the abuse I experienced.

One of the key principles that is emphasized throughout the Bible is sowing and reaping. When we continue in our “own doings” for long periods of time, we will eventually receive a return for our labor and from my own experience I can say the result is not worth the effort.

God is able

There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

When God created the heaven and the earth, he spoke into existence everything that he created “and God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:10). There is a lot that God sees today that is not good, but he is able to change things, to change lives and make them as they were intended to be.

The way that God works today is the same way he worked in Abraham’s time, through promises. God tells us what he is going to do ahead of time so that we can see that it is good in the same way that he did when he first created the heaven and the earth. If you’ve ever watched an artist at work, you have probably been amazed to see the canvas or lump of clay come to life. It is amazing how a blank sheet of paper can suddenly become an image that moves you to tears or laughter.

The word translated pass in Joshua 1:45, bôw (bo) is an action word, “this verb connotes movement in space from one place toward another” (935). What it is referring to in this verse is the movement of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. God brought them into the Promised Land, but it was the Israelites that had to do the walking, fighting, and occupying in order to live in the land.

It was a partnership, God did his part and the Israelites had to do theirs. I would refer to the arrangement as collaboration because God could not force the Israelites to go into the land and the Israelites would not have defeated their enemies without God’s help. They needed each other and to a certain extent, they had a shared destiny. God could have chosen another family, but he would still have had to choose someone to receive his blessing.

The question I have to ask myself sometimes is, do I really want God’s blessing? It is hard sometimes to be obedient and walk in God’s way. I get tired of going against the tide and don’t always agree with what God asks me to do, but I know if I want to live in the Promised Land, I have to be obedient and let God call the shots. He can do it without me, but I can’t do it without him.

I asked for it

Joshua was the last to be assigned a territory in the Promised Land. Unlike the rest of Israel’s children who received their inheritance by lot or the casting of small pebbles similar to what we think of today as dice, it says in Joshua 19:50 “they gave him the city which he asked.” Joshua and Caleb received the land they wanted because they were the only survivors of the wilderness generation. When they were sent to spy out the Promised Land, they came back with a good report and believed they could overcome the people who lived there.

The Promised Land is described as a land flowing with milk and honey. It was a fruitful land and the city Joshua chose to live in Timnath-serah, which means “portion of (the) sun” (8556), could be described as a hot spot in Israel because it was located on a mountain facing toward the location where the Messiah was expected to arrive, Bethlehem. In a way, you could say Joshua wanted his family to have front row seats for the Messiah’s arrival. It’s possible that Joshua’s descendants were among the shepherds that received the announcement of Christ’s birth and visited him in the stable.

Sometimes I think about where I would like to live if I could live anywhere in the world. Every time, I always come up with the same answer, exactly where I’m at right now, Costa Mesa. What makes Costa Mesa special is that it is the home of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, the church founded by Pastor, Chuck Smith.

The Calvary Chapel ministry began in the 60’s during the hippie age and became famous for the trend of people coming to church dressed however they wanted to, even barefoot in some cases. Up until that time, everyone that went to church was expected to dress up and had their “Sunday clothes.” I think it’s interesting that Jesus was born in a stable to parents that were not rich and famous. I think Pastor Chuck was raised during the time when going to church was just a ritual that people went through and he understood that it was not going to church that mattered, it was what you did after you got there that was important. Calvary Chapel is famous for it’s worship and the teaching of God’s word is central to its mission.

If it weren’t enough that I live just minutes from Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, for the past five years I have had the privilege of being a member of Greg Laurie’s church Harvest Christian Fellowship. Greg Laurie is probably the most effective evangelist in the world today. Every year thousands of people are saved at the Harvest Crusade. A couple of years ago, Pastor Greg launched Harvest America, an annual event that enables hundreds of thousands of people to hear the gospel preached. I don’t believe it will be long before technology will enable the Harvest ministry to expand worldwide.

So here I am in the hot spot of Christian ministry and I can’t help thinking, how did I get so lucky? Well, I didn’t get here by a roll of the dice. I actually believe God called me here, particularly because of what is going on in the ministry and who knows, maybe I will end up having front row seats when Christ returns and raptures the church into Heaven?

My Hero

Sometimes victories come quickly, perhaps overnight, life suddenly changes. Other times, the battle rages on for years, maybe even decades with no end in sight. What I think God wants us to realize is that he is in control and his timing is perfect. He does not make things easy because he wants us to trust him.

Joshua 12:24 – 13:1 puts the Israelites’ conquests into a proper perspective. Although 31 kings had already been conquered, Joshua tells them, “there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed” (Joshua 13:1). It was a good news, bad news scenario of sorts because the acknowledgement of what had already been accomplished would help to strengthen the people’s resolve to keep fighting until all their enemies were defeated.

I think Caleb is one of the unsung heroes of the Bible that has not received the recognition due him because of the vast amount of attention given to Joshua. Caleb was the representative of the tribe of Judah that was sent to spy out the Promised Land when the Israelites first reached its borders after their Exodus from Egypt. Caleb’s attitude differed from the majority of the men that spent 40 days looking over the lay of the land. Caleb was not intimidated by the strong men, large cities, or high walls he saw. His advice to the people was, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Num 13:30).

Even though Caleb’s entry into the Promised Land was delayed 40 years, his positive attitude was not diminished. When it came time to distribute their inheritance, Caleb proclaimed:

Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land…and now low I am this day fourscore and five years (85) old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me…Now therefore give me this mountain whereof the LORD spoke in that day. (Joshua 14:7, 10-12)

Hebron, the mountain Caleb is referring to, is the place Abraham first dwelt after God promised to give him all the land north, south, east, and west of Canaan. You could say Caleb’s occupation of Hebron brought things full-circle, God’s faithfulness was now evident to everyone. The cave Abraham purchased as a burial place for Sarah was located in Hebron. Isaac and Esau lived in Hebron and Jacob returned there after spending 20 years in Haran with his uncle Laban, so the family’s history was closely tied to this location.

Hebron was also pivotal later in the establishment of God’s kingdom. The first seven years of David’s reign were in the land of Hebron. His inauguration in Hebron may well have been a peak moment in Israel’s history. It says in 1 Chronicles 12:30, “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.”

The explanation given for Caleb receiving Hebron as his inheritance is “because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14). One of the definitions of the word translated followed is stayed behind (310). This may make sense to followers of Jesus Christ because he once walked on the earth, but for Caleb, who followed someone he had never seen, this was a remarkable accomplishment.

Although Caleb’s conquest of Hebron was an important victory for the tribe of Judah, it did not completely secure the area that they were meant to inherit. In particular, the city that would eventually become their capital, Jerusalem was compromised. “As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out, but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day” (Joshua 15:63).

Eventually, David would gain control of Jerusalem and build his palace there, but even his military strength was not enough to drive out the people that were a continual stumbling block to the Israelites. David’s own life was compromised when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and his daughter Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amnon. So, the question that comes to my mind is, why could they not drive them out? If God was on their side, why did the Israelites not get the victory over these people as they did over the inhabitants of Jericho?

It does not say in the Bible why they could not drive them out, it just says that the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Judah. When Jesus was on the earth, one of the things he did was to cast out demons and he gave his disciples the ability to do it also. On one occasion, a man brought his son to Jesus’ disciples and asked them to cast out the demon that possessed him. It talks about this in Luke 9:40. “And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.” Jesus’ response may provide some insight into why his disciples power was limited. “And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, now long shall I be with you and suffer you?…And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father” (Luke 9:41-42). What Jesus is saying is that they were not really Believers, they were unconverted.

The concept of being born again is one that has never really been understood. It only makes sense to those that have experienced it. When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside the person. It is what some people refer to as having Jesus in your heart. The Holy Spirit is the source of a Believer’s power. It is his presence inside of us that makes it possible for us to do miraculous things. The key to receiving the Holy Spirit is belief. “Jesus said to him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).