Wayfarer on the Creative Path

Chapter-a-Day Judges 20

 But they wouldn't do it. The Benjaminites refused to listen to their brothers, the People of Israel. Instead they raised an army from all their cities and rallied at Gibeah to go to war against the People of Israel. Judges 20:13 (MSG)

In today's chapter, the fledgling nation of Israel sinks to new depths of chaos. Their moral compass left true north as they disobeyed God's number one command and mixed their religion with the idols of Canaan. As morals fell aside, authority fell to the tribes and leaders who wielded the most power. People did as they pleased. Now, the moral failings lead to civil war as the tribe of Benjamin defends the rapists among them and stands against their fellow tribes.

As I read today's chapter, I reminded that we must sometimes hit rock bottom before real change can take place. The downward spiral I'm witnessing in the pages of the book of Judges bring to mind the first of the Twelve Steps. Many who have raised their lives out of the ashes of the downward spiral of addiction began with the words "I admitted I was powerless over my addticion. My life had become unmanageable." God's message to all of us is that forgiveness, hope and redemption are available to each of us no matter how deep we find ourselves in the chaotic consequences of our actions.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and bulletmagnet

Chapter-a-Day Judges 19

He lifted her onto his donkey and set out for home. When he got home he took a knife and dismembered his concubine—cut her into twelve pieces. He sent her, piece by piece, throughout the country of Israel. And he ordered the men he sent out, "Say to every man in Israel: 'Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!'" Judges 19:29-30 (MSG)

When a five men broke into the Democratic National Committee offices of the Watergate complex in 1972, it was a small story. Like a small stone that triggers an avalanche, the "small" story ended up with the resignation of a president and the changing of history. There are events that, ultimately, become part of changing the course of history.

It's easy to read this horrific story in Judges 19 and wonder what could possibly be relevant about such a brutal event. My initial reaction as I read the tragic details was to wonder how such things could happen or be tolerated. I have to be honest, however. Genocide, misogyny, gang rapes, and brutal killings are still a part of this world, though I turn a blind eye to such things when they don't collide with personal experience. Nevertheless, what's the point of such a bloody event?

Any one who sojourns through scripture for any measure of time begins to perceive the big picture themes that connect these diverse writing. There is a grand story being told and this news story is like a new clipping about the Watergate break in. The nation of Israel started as one wandering nomad who started a family who grew into a nation as slave laborers in Egypt. Moses leads them out of slavery, delivers God's law, and takes them to the promised land of Canaan. Joshua leads the conquest of the land. They are settled, spread out in their tribes. But, thing aren't good. With no king or central government, things are continually falling into anarchy and chaos.

The book of Judges is a chapter in God's grand story that moves us from Israel's settling of Canaan without any real system of human government to the establishment of a monarchy that would give us King David, through whom God would ultimately send us His Son. The chaotic events described in Judges are like stones that create an avalanche of public opinion. Soon, Israel would be clamoring for a king. The story of this concubine's rape and her husband's bloody message to the tribes surely raised that clamor to a fever pitch. Something needs to be done. This event would be part of a chain of events that would lead Israel to cry out for a king to rule them and bring law, justice and order to the land.

Today, I'm thanking God that I live in a time and place where the rule of law prevents such events from being commonplace. I'm also mindful of the terrible consequences when we are not subject to authority.

Chapter-a-Day Judges 18

 The Danites went on their way. Micah saw that he didn't stand a chance against their arms. He turned back and went home. Judges 18:26 (MSG)

I've worked, attended and served in many different churches over the years. In every church I've attended I've found "power players" in the midst of the fellowship. They might be wealthy businessmen, community leaders,families of tremendous local influence, or just strong personalities. I can recount many instances in which I've watched power players assert their influence to get their way without regard to the impact it has on others or the fellowship. I mention the church, but I've seen it in business and government, as well. It's an interesting phenomenon to observe. It reminds me of the old saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

In today's chapter, I see the unadulterated influence of power in the lives of individuals and communities. The Danites were a large and intimidating force in that region. They leveraged their power to make Micah "an offer he can't refuse." They used their power to steal and massacre because they could, and it put them and their families in a more secure human position.

We like to think that we live in more civilized times, and it can be argued that we do. Nevertheless, my journey through these ancient historical events continuously remind me of the forces of human nature that don't change. The Danites were power players in their day the same way there are power players in families, churches, corporations, governments and communities today. We may cloak it differently, but it's still there.

Today, I'm thinking about the areas of my life and influence in which I'm a power player. Do I use the power and influence at my disposal to secure my own position at the cost of others, or am I following the example of Jesus who "had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:5-8)

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and claude bezzina

Chapter-a-Day Judges 17

In those days there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing. Judges 17:6 (MSG)

I still remember some of the substitute teachers that would fill in on a regular basis during my high school years. Most of them were excellent teachers, but there were a few who did not take their jobs very seriously. They did little teaching and cared very little what we did in class. They were like babysitters but with less sense of accountability. The result, of course, was not good. Students did pretty much whatever they wanted and constantly pushed the boundaries to see how much they could get away with.

One of the things I've noticed though the years is that people don't do well without leadership and authority. Given to ourselves, mankind tends to slip into the painful consequences of chaos and anarchy. One of the themes that flows in the subtext of the book of Judges is the free-for-all that resulted from the lack of a central governing authority.

Authority is a good thing, even when we don't always see eye-to-eye.

Chapter-a-Day Judges 16

She said, "How can you say 'I love you' when you won't even trust me? Three times now you've toyed with me, like a cat with a mouse, refusing to tell me the secret of your great strength." She kept at it day after day, nagging and tormenting him. Finally, he was fed up—he couldn't take another minute of it. He spilled it. Judges 16:15-16 (MSG)

The use of 'love' as a means to selfish ends is as old as mankind. Looking back, I can recall being on both ends of this manipulative tactic. I can't point my finger without three fingers pointing back at me. Still, I like to think I've learned my lesson. 

I am always wary of phrases that begin: "If you love me, you will...?" or "How can you say you love me when you...?" For the true object of the question is usually the person asking, and the motivation is typically self-centered.

As I read the account of Samson and Delilah it struck me that, while they spoke of 'loving' each other, I found nothing in the text that illustrated love as God's message describes it:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I Cor 13:4-7

Red flags always go up whenever I hear a person using love as a bargaining chip.

Thanksgiving 2009

 It's Saturday morning of Thanksgiving weekend. The Christmas tree is up and lighting the corner of the living room. Holiday music is playing in the background. The holidays have officially begun!

It's been a quiet Thanksgiving for us. My family were all headed out of town to visit other family. Wendy's family were pretty much all doing their own thing. Taylor is off doing her new thing with the in-laws. Madison was off to do Thanksgiving with her mom. So, Wendy and I found ourselves home alone and headed down the block to have a Thanksgiving meal with the Vande Lunes. The house was filled with great smells as Wendy made homemade rolls and sweet potatoes for the meal. She'd also made a chocolate cheesecake for dessert.

We had a wonderful meal with the VL's. My little buddy Nathan invited me to watch the parade on television with him. He then decided the parade would be much better if he was sitting on my shoulders. The only problem was that he was having a hard time climbing up on the back of the couch to get his legs around me. So, he grabbed the only thing available to give him leverage: my hair. With a little effort and relatively few of my hairs pulled out he managed to swing his legs around and so he was sitting snugly on my shoulders. That's when he tooted. I managed to breathe through my mouth for a few minutes to avoid olfactory damage. In the meantime, Nathan settled in to watch the parade while he nonchalantly played with my head like a toy. He used the top of my head as a bongo drum. He pulled my ears to see if they came out like Mr. Potato Head's. Then his hands moved down across my face and his finger decided to see what was up my right nostril!

Fortunately, the dinner bell rang and we enjoyed a wonderful feast with our friends. After dinner we headed to the VL's new, finished basement to have dessert and watch football. Between Shay and Wendy, there were four complete desserts prepared for the four adults and one half-pint in the room. We had baklava, pumpkin crisp, pecan pie, and chocolate cheesecake. No wonder I'm feeling fat.

We returned home in the mid-afternoon and kept it quiet the rest of the evening. Madison brought her friend, Phil, over to have pizza with us. We hadn't had a chance to get to know him, so we enjoyed chatting over dinner. Madison then took off to a friends while Wendy and I spent the rest of the evening watching the Bronco's beat the Giants (we watched the last quarter in bed).

We worked Friday morning, but knocked off to decorate the house for Christmas in the afternoon. It was fun to do it together and we had about as much done as we wanted to accomplish when Wendy's folks and sister arrived. The Friday night of Thanksgiving is traditionally the night when Wendy's Roozeboom side of the family (her maternal grandmother's family) get together at New Hope Church here in Pella for a potluck. Wendy's brother, Josh, buzzed over from Iowa City to join us. Wendy had been working on the family tree for this side of the family and passed out hard copies to check facts and additions. Great Aunt Jo had a devotional thought for the family and then we feasted. We finished the evening playing a card game, Golf.

 

We went to bed well-fed and grateful for family. No big plans are left for the weekend. A little work to be done, a few projects around the house, and maybe a movie, a football game (or two). Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter-a-Day Judges 15

Three companies of men from Judah went down to the cave at Etam Rock and said to Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines already bully and lord it over us? So what's going on with you, making things even worse?" He said, "It was tit for tat. I only did to them what they did to me." Judges 15:11 (MSG)

As a child, there were plenty of conflicts between me and my siblings. My sister was my closest sibling and, therefore, the one with whom I fought most of the time. We would cycle into periods of conflict when all we did was fight with each other. There was always a past hurt or misdeed she or I could point to justify our current attack. "She did that to me," I would argue, "so I don't feel the least bit guilty about doing this to her." And so, the pattern of perpetual conflict continued. Fortunately, our sibling grudges faded with time and maturity.

Nevertheless, I have seen the same patterns of conflict between married couples, friends, neighbors, and nations. There is no end to conflict when each party perpetuates and justifies it by pointing to a host of past wrongs. We see the same cycle at work in Samson's continuous acts of violence and retaliation.

Today, I'm thinking about conflicts in my own life and contemplating the ways I may be contributing its' ongoing cycle. The holidays are approaching and I'm mindful that God chose not to hold my sins against me, but to sacrificially reconcile me to himself. I think it's my job to be engaged in the act of sacrifice and reconciliation rather than perpetuating conflict.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and KenWilcox

Chapter-a-Day Judges 14

Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl. He came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife." Judges 14:1

The study of Samson is a study in human nature. He was a Nazarite from his birth, meaning that he was set apart by special acts of purity. No hair on his body had been cut and he'd never touched a drop of alcohol. Yet, we find in Samson an important historical lesson. Extreme human efforts at purity can't and don't blot out the darkness of sin that weeds it's way into our hearts. Sin finds a way to reveal itself in the behavioral patterns of our lives. Samson's calamitous life is a prime example.

Samson had a weakness. Like another strong man of antiquity, Achilles, Samson was all brawny hero with a tiny tragic flaw. Achilles flaw was his heel. Samson's flaw was his lust. Samson's tragic dalliance with Delilah was not the exception for Samson, it was the rule. Samson had a weakness for women. It wasn't just a fatal attraction for the opposite sex, it was a bad boy lust for the forbidden females of the Philistines. Today's chapter is an appetizer of the tragic events to come.

Samson's story is my story. It's humanity's story. It's a microcosm of the cycle of sin revealed in the theme of the book of Judges. Desiring to be good and striving for purity can't blot out my tragic weakness. Look at the patterns of my behavior and you'll see the inheritance of Adam at work cycling me back into the familiar struggle with sin and pointing to the Truth that I need a savior.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and Frank Boyd

Chapter-a-Day Judges 13

The angel of God said, "What's this? You ask for my name? You wouldn't understand—it's sheer wonder." Judges 13:18 (MSG)

There is so much about God which I don't comprehend. There are so many things I don't understand about His ways. I am befuddled. I'm so desperately frustrated with His silence and disappointed when my heart's desire is perpendicular to His Truth. I try to define Him. I try to wrap my finite mental boundaries around Him. I try to reduce Him into containable thought which will fit neatly and comfortably in the cultural, intellectual and emotional box I've created for Him. But, He never quite fits inside the box. It always ends up being both messy and uncomfortable for me.

Even His name defies reduction into our human language. It can't be contained in the limited letters, syllables and words of our most exhaustive dictionary. I reach to grasp for it, and find that it's always a little further up and further in. I sometimes touch it, but never quite grasp hold of it.

Today, I'm reminded of my need to sit in wonder and be content.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and wisdoc

Chapter-a-Day Judges 12

The men of Ephraim mustered their troops, crossed to Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go out to fight the Ammonites without letting us go with you? We're going to burn your house down on you!" Judges 12:1 (MSG)

Once upon a time, I pastored a church in a small rural town. In this church there were two men. One of the men had "his pew" in one back corner of the sanctuary. The other man had "his pew" in the opposite back corner. Each week they would come to church with their wives and go to "their pew" for worship.

I didn't think anything of this. One day, an elder of the church explained to me that these two men had a dispute over the placement of a property line. Arguments ensued. Bitterness followed. They never spoke to one another again, choosing to sit on opposite sides of the sanctuary to avoid seeing or speaking to one another.

I think of those two men from time to time and remind myself that life is too short to live in anger and hatred. Arguments are usually really stupid. This is especially true when men and their pride are involved, as with the Ephraimites and Gileadites in today's chapter. Why do we choose to hold on to bitterness and it's gnawing, destructive consequences than humble ourselves and seek the healing of reconciliation?