Monday, September 17, 2018

Judge Deborah


Scripture:
Judges 4:1-23

Quick Summary:
Israel ends up under the control of the Canaanite king. Israel’s Judge Deborah calls Commander Barak to fight him. Barak says not without her. She says, “Only if you are ok with sharing the victory with a woman.” Sure enough, a woman named Jael ends up killing the enemy commander with a tent peg through his temple.

The Point:
Barak gave up his honor and asked for help. It’s hard to ask for help, but God’s mission is more important than our pride.

Questions for Family Time:
1.     Who was the judge? What did she do?
        a. Judge Deborah told Commander Barak to fight the evil king and free Israel.
2.     What did Barak do?
        a. He said ok, if you come with me. He asked for her help.
3. Why was that a big deal?
        a.   Because that  meant a woman would get the honor/credit and he wouldn’t. 
3.     Did a woman get the credit?
        a.      Yes, but not Deborah. It was Jael who killed the enemy commander with a tent peg through his temple. 

Deeper:
            Deborah is one of the first women in the Bible that God used in leadership in a world thick with patriarchy. In fact, even today with equal employment for men and women in just about every profession, the government and military still are heavily led by men and a macho-culture. It doesn’t take us much imagination to see how far out on a limb Barak was going. First, he receives his marching orders from a woman. Than he requests her presence as a leader during the battle. Deborah herself seems a little taken aback by this request. 
         She seems to say, “Are you sure you are going to be okay if I get credit for the win?” 
         Barak doesn’t back down. He knows who the leader should be. He knows he can’t do it on his own, even if he loses face. He needs help. Not just any help. He needs Deborah the Judge. 
In a wild turn, Deborah ends up right but not by the means everyone expected. It wasn’t the great leader Barak. It wasn’t the great leader Deborah. Victory would come from a quite woman without a sword or even a knife at her disposal. The only thing she had handy to slay the enemy was the very peg keeping her tent up. Jael would topple the great Commander Sisera while he slept sure he was safe in her care. 
This story, with all of its twists and turns, reminds us how important it is to receive help, even from the most unlikely of places. It doesn’t matter how grand our title, whether Commander or Judge or Housewife (Tent-wife?). God calls us to help each other and to welcome help, even when it may hurt our pride to do so. 
God wants us to use our gifts in leadership like Deborah. He wants us to ask for help like Barak. He wants us to fight his battles no matter how small we may think we are like Jael. 

Personal Reflection:

               Where in your life is pride keeping you from asking for help? Where is your humility getting in the way of you doing your part in God’s kingdom?

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Ehud, the Left-handed


Scripture:
Judges 3:12-31

Quick Summary:
Israel is under the rule of the Moab king Eglon. Along comes Ehud, the Judge, who is left-handed and had a reputation of being tricky. He used those tricky skills to kill the king and free Israel from Moab.

The Point:
No matter what others think about us, God can use us to do his work.

Questions for Family Time:
1.     Why did people think badly about Ehud?
a.      He was left handed, and everyone thought if you were left handed you must be bad.
2.     How did Ehud use his left handedness for God?
a.  The king didn’t think he was grabbing his sword until it was too late. He killed the evil king.
What did Ehud do?
a.     He plunged the sword into the kings belly, and the king’s guts fell out, and the sword got stuck in his fat. (Gross!)
3.     What did you learn?
a.      No matter what people say is “wrong” with me, God can use it for good!

Deeper:
            The stories of the judges are not sweet stories. They are pretty violent and pretty gross. They are some of the most exciting and vivid stories of the Bible. Even though they can be gory, at the heart, they tell us amazing truths about God and his love for his people. That’s why I am excited to tell these crazy stories to the kids. Our story for today will definitely not disappoint. Stabbing a king and watching his guts pour out. His fat wrapping around the sword. Gross.
            But the real story of God’s love comes before all that craziness when God chooses Ehud. The only thing we are told about Ehud is that he was left handed. For us, this seems a non-descriptor all together. Who cares if he is left-handed? It just means he needs a different set of scissors, right?
            For the Israelites, and the first readers of this text, left-handed meant a lot more. It meant this man was known for being a trickster. He was known for being sneaky and untrustworthy. Those left-handed people were not to be trusted. You never knew what they were up to. Being left-handed came with a bad reputation. Ehud came with a bad reputation.
            Yet, God chooses him, over all the “good boys” in Israel to free God’s people. In fact, God chooses him not despite his flaws, but it appears for his flaws. Ehud does what everyone would expect of him…he tricks the king into trusting him. The wild part of this story is that God takes this flaw, and uses it for his kingdom. He doesn’t ask Ehud to change who he is. He asks Ehud to use his flaws for God’s work.
            We often talk about giving God our gifts, but Ehud reminds us that God wants all of us, flaws included. He wants those parts of us that we are not proud of. The parts that we are made fun of for or looked down on for. He says those bits of us…the divorce, our imperfect bodies, our history of drug use, and our imperfect parenting…those things of ill repute are his tools for changing the world. And he says this for our kids too. Not good at school? God can use it. Not great at sports? God can use it. Not cool? God needs you. Can’t sit still to save your life? God wants us, flaws and all. God sees potential where we only see brokenness.

Personal Reflection:
               What do you see as your flaws? How could God use those flaws to make the world a better place?