Jephthah's Tragic Vow

And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”  (Judges 11:30-31 NLT)

Sometimes we can do things to bring about a good result with a bad action.  Jephthah made a vow before he had thought it through.  Often, we try to give God things he does not want.

Tragically, when Jephthah returned from battle, Mizpah, his daughter, and only child, ran out to meet him.  His heart sank (Judges 11:34-35).  Zeal for the Lord is good if it has been measured by wisdom.  Jephthah spoke before considering the consequences of his words.

Bad methods never bring about good results.  The Bible tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).  Surely, compliance does often include some form of sacrifice, but sacrifice is not a prerequisite for obedience.   We frequently try to negotiate a deal with God.  Jephthah made a proposition, if you give me victory, then I will return the favor.  God deals through a covenant relationship, not by contract. We sacrifice because we already have God’s favor not to obtain it.

Obedience has no contingency clauses that say to God if you will, I will.  If we relate to God on a contractual basis, we will always end up giving him things that he does not require.  The problem with this strategy is that everything depends on what we do and not what God does.  Sacrifice, unless directed by God, is futile.  When we give up just to get from God, it always has the opposite effect, as Jephthah found out due to his tragic vow.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Who Can Cast the First Stone?

All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!” (John 8:7b NLT)

We often condemn people for the same sins we are committing.  The accused in this story becomes more righteous than her accusers.  Christ is the only one qualified to throw the first stone.

Jesus had a way of turning the trickery of the Pharisees back on themselves.  They intended to entrap him about their Law, which said that adultery was punishable by death.  Jesus cleverly turned the accusations against the accused to the accusers.  Jesus knew the motive of the teachers of the Law and the condition of their hearts.  Those who are guilty of a particular sin are more severe in their judgment of it in others to ease their own guilt. Jesus appeals to the general Law of morality.  He who accuses someone of something he is doing condemns himself.

Jesus proceeds by changing the conversation from the punishment of one, to the conviction of all.  He brought repentance to the women by showing her mercy and conviction to the Pharisees by showing them their sin.  Jesus did this my neither negating the Law of Moses or excusing the prisoner’s guilt but by exercising mercy and judgment simultaneously as he would do on the Cross.

Shame can soften or harden our hearts. The Pharisees left in disgrace and the women stayed to repent.  The religious leaders were more concerned about their reputation than their souls.  The women lingered and kept silent about her hypocritical prosecutors. Repentant people dwell on their own sin, not that of others.  Mercy is showcased, self-righteousness is exposed, and the sinless Jesus is revealed as the only one qualified to cast the first stone.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website:https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Usefulness is Better than Greatness

Once upon a time the trees decided to choose a king.  First they said to the olive tree,
‘Be our king!’  But the olive tree refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the olive oil
 that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’

 (Judges 9:8 NLT)

Pursuing leadership is a good thing if you are doing it for the right reason.  If you seek to be great, you will never be useful.  If you strive to be useful, God can make you great.

The story unfolds as Abimelech, Gideon’s son, through his cunning, becomes King.  His first act as King is to kill all of his seventy half-brothers except one, Jotham.  Jotham tells an interesting parable (Judges 9:7-16 NLT).  The trees decided to choose a King.  It was offered to valuable trees like the olive, the fig, and the grapevine. They all wanted to serve rather than to assume control, to do good rather than rule.  Yet, when the same suggestion was made to the thornbush, it was accepted with glee.  Someone once said that if you find a person looking for authority, give them responsibility.  If you find a person seeking responsibility, give them authority. 

We should never seek leadership for the fame, fortune, or power that comes with it.  These things may become necessary by-products of your position, but should never be the reasons we seek authority.  Position yourself to serve, and if God has gifted you with leadership skills, watch God nurture your abilities and make then evident to others. 

Those who are faithful in little things will be faithful in much.  You can be useful before you are great, but you can never be great before you are useful.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website:https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Following Christ from a Distance

Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. (Luke 22:54 NASB)

Peter's Denial

Peter tried to follow what was happening to Christ without being seen.  One of the gravest mistakes we can make is to try and follow Jesus from a distance. 

If we walk down that road of not being seen or heard for Christ, it can eventually lead us to deny him.  In times where following Christ can put us in an uncomfortable or precarious situation, we can start to distance ourselves from him.  We don’t outright deny Christ, we just begin to be silent and become a sort of a secret Christian.  We never receive the power to live for him by distancing ourselves from him.  If we become more and more silent, in a moment of weakness, we can find ourselves denying him.  There is no status quo in the Kingdom of God, we are either moving towards Christ or away from him.

I wish I could tell you that I have always had victory in this area, but I would be lying to you if I did.  I can remember numerous times where I should have spoken up for Christ, but I didn’t.  My sin was not of co-mission, but of omission.  It was not what I did but what I didn’t do.  In spite of my weakness, I have found, like Peter did, that God always gives us another chance.  God understands our frailty and gives us grace in time of our need.

God is our strength.  We never receive the grace to live for Christ by moving away from him but towards him.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Joshua, A Servant Leader

After all the land was divided among the tribes, the Israelites gave a piece of land to Joshua as his allocation.  For the Lord had said he could have any town he wanted. 
(Joshua 19:49-50a NLT) 

Joshua was the oldest and most significant of all Israel, yet he was the last to receive his inheritance.  Joshua personified the servant-heart of Christ, where the first becomes last.

When Jesus’ disciples were jockeying for position and trying to get the best positions in serving their Master, Jesus gave them a lesson in authentic leadership (Matthew 20: 25-28 NLT). He told them that they were not to lord it over people as the Gentiles do, and the last would first and the first, last.  We see this same mindset in Joshua.  The leader of Israel could have had any town he wanted at any time he wanted, yet Joshua fought for all the other Israelites to received their inheritance and then he took his.  If Joshua had been a captain of a sinking ship, he would have waited for his crew to disembark before he did.  Joshua had the essential quality of all good leaders, seeing his role as taking care of his followers, not them existing just for him.  It is the example that Jesus modeled for us when he put our needs first and gave his life for us.

In God’s service, we can often feel like we are always playing a backup role.  It appears that others receive their inheritance before we do, yet we must remember what Jesus told us, the first will be last.  In the Kingdom of God, often, those who laugh last, laugh best.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com