A Reason To Sing

So ... God chose Deborah to lead Israel.  Yep!  Controversial in that time, and apparently controversial in our time.  But there are things about Deborah that add depth to the story.  Here are a few of them.

Deborah wanted to make sure the people remembered God's goodness, God's provision, and God's greatness had delivered them from their enemies.  God, and only God, was the source of their season of prosperity and peace.  I remember the Willie Nelson lyric, "He'd rather give you a song, than diamonds or gold (referencing cowboys)."  Maybe Deborah was a cowgirl (the Hebrews were shepherds), because she writes a song of praise to God, thanking Him for what he has done and will do.  Judges 5 constitutes Deborah's song.  If you read this song, you will find it expressing Deborah's attitude about God ... and how God empowers and delivers His people.  She knew this from personal experience since she held several revered positions in the Hebrew culture.

1. Deborah was a prophet.  God spoke to and through her.  When she called upon Barak from the tribe of Naphtali to assemble 10,000 men to fight against Sisera, he said, possibly out of respect to her leadership, "If you go with me, I will go (Judges 4:8)!"  Deborah responded that she would go with him, but Barak would not receive the honor for the victory.  That honor would go to a woman but, if you read the song, she doesn't mean herself.

2. Deborah was a conduit.  Because Deborah was a faithful leader of the Hebrews (the Judge was the national spiritual and political leader of Israel), God's power and promise flowed through her into the circumstances the Hebrews faced.  Sisera sent 900 chariots against the Hebrews, which should have been sufficient to defeat them.  God sent rain, mud, and defeat to Sisera's soldiers.  God sent death to Sisera through Jael, a Kenite woman.  It was Jael who received the honor of the victory.

3. Deborah was a wise Judge.  She settled her people's disputes under "the Tree of Deborah."  God and the people respected her wisdom (that came from God) and her leadership, for which God chose and equipped her.

While the details of this story are hard to follow in the Biblical account, the message is pretty clear.  God chooses His leaders carefully and perfectly (even if they might be out-of-order with the norms of the day).  God provides victory, wisdom, and authority to those He ordains to lead.  God ignores our posturing, bickering, pettiness, and prejudice.

How can I say that?  Do you remember Philippians 2?  Verse 7 says, "He made Himself nothing."  The God who is all-powerful became nothing to bring us to Himself! So maybe God, allowing a song of praise and deliverance from a Judge, a prophet, a spiritual leader, and a woman, should have our continued praise and awe as He delivers us from our enemies and brings us to Himself!  AMEN?  AMEN!

God Things

Do you ever have something happen that you know is a God thing?  It might be something you see.  It might be a Scripture that is particularly applicable to your current situation.  It may be a person or persons.  But God is active, present, and speaking, if we will take the time to notice and/or listen.

This morning, I got to share with the ACA staff about back-to-school thoughts.  Every year, they use our facility for the first "in-service" event.  It is good to see both new and not-so-new faces, as the staff learns, shares, and fellowships together.  We shared the Scripture from Lamentations 3:22-23, in which the prophet (after many words of lament [go figure?]) breaks into praise ... "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"

In the book, Theo of Golden, the author writes, "It is better to see one thing well (in the light of truth) than to see many things poorly."  As we begin the almost fall season, let's make that positivity our mantra.  Most of you are clueless about the rest of Lamentations, and couldn't quote a single verse.  But I bet most of you remember Jeremiah's words of comfort and beauty as you sing the old song, Great is Thy Faithfulness.

"It is better to see one thing well, than to see many things poorly."  The Lamentations passage and this quote are "God things," meant to make us stop, think, look, listen, and see what God is doing.  Go thou, and do likewise!

A Temporary Lesson

Have you, as a teacher or a parent, ever thought, "I thought we covered this lesson!"  I wonder if God does the same thing as I (and we) stub our toes or totally fall down over the same obstacle?  The Hebrews found themselves learning and relearning over and over again, as they traversed the wilderness southeast of Canaan.

Kadesh Barnea was the term in Hebrew.  It meant wilderness, filled with little water and food, serpents, and uncertainty.  A generation had died off, and now Moses prepares the people for entering the land ... a land he would not be allowed to enter because of his own unlearned lessons.  Moses' preparation, and several associated sermons, are contained in Deuteronomy, called Devarim in Hebrew.  It means "these are the words." In the 1st chapter, Moses recounts the spies being sent (the 1st time) into Canaan. The trip was a resounding failure, and maybe lessons were learned (at least temporarily).  In Joshua, two spies are sent.  The spies are not told to assess the armies.  Instead, they are sent to "Go look over the land (Joshua 2)."

Let's stop here.  The first spies (12 of them) were sent to assess the power, the cities, the land, and the obstacles the Hebrews would encounter.  The report came back in a fearful tone.  "The cities are fortified." "The land is good."  "The people are large and strong."  "Why is the Lord sending us up from Egypt, only to die by the sword!"  The report, the spies, and the people failed to follow God's explicit command.

In Joshua 2, 2 spies go out.  I love what they say as they return.  "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us (Joshua 2:24)."  Even Rahab, the prostitute who hides the spies in her home, remarks, "I know the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of us (Joshua 2:9)."  

The first spies came back fearful, defeated, and rebellious.  The second spies realize that the people in the land are "melting with fear" because of the God of Israel.  Imagine that?

The very people of God, God's treasured possession, God's "kingdom of priests," and the people delivered from Egypt had seen what God did, first hand.  Yet, they faltered and reverted to their fear.  They became resistant and stiff-necked.  They were distracted by their false feelings and blinded to the truth.  40 years later, the next generation of Hebrews learned the truth.  They discovered that the people living in Canaan were terrified (more terrified than the Hebrews) of the God that brought them out of Egypt 40 years earlier!

Let that sink in.  Do we (the Church that has been told by Jesus "the very gates of hell will not prevail against us" [Matthew 16]) believe Jesus? Or do we see obstacles, barriers, fortified strongholds, and failure?  Read Psalm 18 (especially verses 6-14).  Tell me if your God is weak or strong?  Proclaim to me if your God hears, listens, and comes to His people?  Is God who He says He is, or is god who you have made him?  

The Art Of Missing Things

Last week at Art Camp, we had over 100 people (children, students, adults) in various capacities, working and serving.  They were a blessing, and the 1st Annual Abbeville Sacred Arts Initiative Summer Art Camp was a beautiful success.  God showed up, and many gifted people worked really hard.  I was blessed by going class-to-class, and I repeatedly saw the beauty, the giftedness, and the smiles of children from every walk of life!  I wanted to run around and say, "Look and see what God has done!"

During a devotional time on Friday morning, I was talking about a scene in Andy Andrews' book, The Traveler's Gift, in which Andrews paints (with words) a scene of a vast storehouse in heaven.  The main character is being led through a storehouse filled with beautiful things like inventions that would make human life better, including cures for all kinds of diseases (cancer, Alzheimer's, etc.).  The question is asked, "What is all this stuff?"  The angel answers, "These are the things that were never invented or never developed, because the person who was assigned that task missed their chance to change the world for the better."  Sometimes blessings are happening all around us, and we miss them!  

WOW, what a thought!  What if each of us could do something that would make life and the world better for everyone, but we missed our chance?  Here is where I want us/you/me to ponder our part in this!  How could we miss such an important thing?  Here are a few lessons from the experience of Hebrews travelling from Egypt to Caanan.  

1. Busyness - We get busy and think our little task is more important than what is happening right beside us.  We might not see, or care, about the connections God is trying to make.  In the Pentateuch, God is binding His people together with a braided cord of 3 strands (Eccl. 4:12) ... the individual, the community, the Lord (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

2. Fear - I wonder if people let fear overcome them to the point they freeze up and fail God?  We fear what people will say, so we avoid the altar.  We fear a response, so we either walk on eggshells or respond with bluster to show our false "lack of fear" (and we miss that 'truth in love' thing God calls us to show).  We see the magnitude of the task and say what the spies did in Numbers 13 ... "there are giants in the land, and we are like grasshoppers!"  All of these things have a common denominator.  They all rely on the power of self rather than the power of God.  So we continue in the wilderness of fear!

3. Being 'Chippy' - God, speaking to Moses said, "these people are stiff-necked (referring to bickering, being prideful, being rebellious, being "difficult). In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (of the Old Testament) the #1 thing stopping the people wasn't the enemies they encountered along the way.  It was THEM!  Moses had more than one conversation with God about God's anger with the people. God was NOT amused!  I saw a sign in a restaurant that said, "If you are difficult, demanding, or rude, you will be charged an extra $10."  God clearly notices this behavior, and God clearly doesn't like this behavior.  

Part of the reason the people wandered in the desert for 40 years is that they didn't trust God enough to follow in faith.  They missed multiple chances to receive God's blessings.

How do we keep from missing the chances God gives us?  We trust God more than bickering, busyness, and fear!  We rely on Him, not self!  We always have 2 choices.  We can choose to see, observe, notice, and buy into what God is doing.  Or, we can lean on our own understanding, failing to trust God or the people God has placed to complete His work. We can do this!  And, we can do this well!

One last comment from that devotional.  When I had finished with my story, Nicey Eller was going to pray.  She had selected a book (without any conversation with me) as her lead-in to prayer time.  It was The Boy Who Changed The World by Andy Andrews!  I asked, "Did you see that, or did you miss it?"  Most didn't recognize that God's Spirit had connected my story with Nicey's prayer.  Maybe they were focused on what they had to do.  Maybe they were fearful of the wave of children about to enter the door.  It's how we miss God's plan, God's blessings, and God's work through our coworkers and us.

I challenge each of us to see, hear, taste, listen, smell, and touch God today.  Let's become experts at these things, rather than being skilled at missing God's things!  God is not silent... we are sometimes not good listeners.  Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Could All This Beauty Be For Us?

During this week, we are all immersed in Art Camp.  Art Camp is part of the Abbeville Sacred Arts Initiative, which is a subset of the Music/Children/Youth Ministry of Abbeville Methodist Church.  Over 100 children, youth, and adults have gathered this week to pray, "May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17)."  We quoted this verse every day as part of the devotional at 8:30 each morning of camp.  It asks God's beauty to guide us and lead us as we work with our hands to bring beauty into the world! In Exodus 31, we find a beautiful example of this as God calls (and equips) Bezalel to craft items that will be part of the worship God expects from His people.

In God's calling and consecration of Bezalel for this work, God seems both happy and excited to tell Moses, "I have filled him (Bezalel) with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft."  Inspiration ... ability ... intelligence ... knowledge.  This sounds a little like heart, soul, mind, strength ... doesn't it?

Three points here:

1. Did you notice God started with "spirit?"  If we are planning to be guided by God in the work of our hands, we need to begin by opening ourselves to the spirit of God.  One of my favorite songs says it this way ... "O Spirit of the Living God, O light and fire divine ... descend upon your Church once more, and make it truly thine!"

2. Did you notice God cares deeply about this work being done skillfully?  God gives the ability and the opportunity to use our intelligence to gain knowledge.  Every child at Art Camp has/had each of these things.  God calls us to the work He has established, and then He gives us the abilities, intelligence, and skills to craft what God has designed.  What a calling!  And what a beautiful time to watch each of these children grow in something that imparts the grace of beauty upon them!  I believe God loves this!

3.  Did you notice that God is continuing to grow, expand, and express Himself in what He has called us to create, all so that we may worship Him?  

We start with God's Spirit leading ... we continue with God's gifting ... we apply skills that we invest in ... so that we may worship God.  And here is the kicker ... God is doing this FOR us!  Because when we are able to truly worship God, we can leave the bondage of culture, self, transactionism, and make a beautiful connection with a God that is beautiful, creative, and trustworthy!  Here are some words about that moment ... that thin place ... when God speaks life into us, our work, and our children ...

Into the peace of these wild things

Into the wild of this grace

Into the grace of this blessing

Speak in the peace of this place

Here in the magic hour, time and eternity

Mingle a moment in chorus

Here at the magic hour, bright is the mystery

Plain is the beauty before us,

Could all this beauty be for us?

(Andrew Peterson, Magic Hour)

You Want Us To Do What?

Scripture: Exodus 23:1–9 … "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits... Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong... Do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit... Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt." (Exodus 23:6, 2, 3, 9)

You want us to do what? There are moments in Scripture that cause us to stop reading and start staring. Exodus 23:1-9 is one of those passages.

God tells His people not to spread false reports. Don't join the crowd in doing wrong. Don't show favoritism to the rich. Don't show prejudice toward the poor. Help your enemy's wandering animal. Refuse bribes. Protect the innocent. Don't oppress the foreigner. It almost sounds impossible.

Our culture has taught us that justice means standing with "our side" and mercy means helping "our people." None of this focuses on revenge, giving our foe some of what they have given us, or demeaning others to benefit our "side." God says something radically different. He tells His people to live according to His standards, not ours.

The Hebrew word most often translated justice is mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט). Mishpat is much more than simply deciding who wins and who loses. It means rendering a judgment that reflects the very character of God. It is justice as God sees it—not merely as people perceive it. That is why Exodus 23 repeatedly warns against partiality.

Do not favor the powerful. Do not favor or penalize the poor simply because they are poor. Do not follow public opinion. Do not let emotion replace truth.

Justice is not determined by popularity, politics, wealth, or sympathy. Justice belongs to God. His people are simply called to reflect it.

The Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד) is often translated as steadfast love, lovingkindness, or mercy. Yet none of those English words fully capture its depth. Hesed describes covenant love. It is the kind of loyalty, kindness, and sacrificial commitment normally reserved for family. It is treating someone as though they belong to you. As though they carry your own name. As though they are your brother or sister. That is shocking.

God is not merely asking us to be polite. He is asking us to love people—including those who have hurt us—with the devotion we naturally reserve for blood relatives. No wonder Jesus later tells us to love our enemies. He wasn't inventing a new idea. He was revealing what had been God's heart all along.

There is a story often told about a respected judge. One day a lifelong friend stood before his bench guilty of breaking the law. The courtroom became quiet. Everyone wondered what the judge would do. Would friendship outweigh justice? The judge looked at his friend and quietly pronounced him guilty. Then he imposed the maximum fine allowed by law.

Justice had been served. But then something unexpected happened. The judge stood up. He removed his robe. Walked down from the bench. Reached into his own pocket. And paid the entire fine himself.

Justice had not been ignored. Mercy had not been abandoned. Both had been perfectly fulfilled. That is exactly what God has done for us. At the cross, God never declared sin unimportant. Justice demanded payment. So God Himself, in Christ, stepped down from the Judge's seat, entered our humanity, and paid the penalty we could never pay. The cross is where mishpat and hesed meet.

Justice satisfied. Mercy overflowing. Go, thou and do likewise!

Freedom Clichés

Every July we hear them. "Give me liberty or give me death." "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." "Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life."

"Freedom isn't free." They appear on signs, social media posts, T-shirts, and speeches. Because they are so familiar, they can become little more than patriotic clichés. But behind every one of them lies a story of sacrifice, courage, and conviction. Long before the birth of America, God was teaching these same lessons in the opening chapters of Exodus.

Israel was a nation living without freedom. A Pharaoh who "did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8) reduced God's people to slaves. They were forced into hard labor, their sons were marked for death, and their future seemed hopeless. Slavery was not merely an economic system—it was an assault on the image of God in humanity. Then God began to move.

He preserved the life of Moses through unlikely people—a courageous mother, a compassionate sister, and even Pharaoh's own daughter. God called Moses from the burning bush and declared His covenant name: "I AM WHO I AM." He had heard His people's cries, remembered His promises, and had come down to deliver them.  And God used an unlikely 80-year-old to keep God’s promises.  A spiritual showdown unfolds. Again and again Moses delivers God's message: "Let My people go, so that they may worship Me." Freedom, in God's eyes, is never an end in itself. It is the opportunity to worship, obey, and live under His gracious rule.

Pharaoh refuses. His heart grows harder with every encounter. The plagues begin to fall—not only as judgments upon Egypt, but as declarations that the gods of Egypt are powerless before the living God. Freedom would come, but not without conflict, sacrifice, and loss of life. That is why the saying, "Freedom isn't free," rings so true.

For Israel, freedom required God's mighty hand, miraculous signs, courageous obedience, and eventually the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. For America, freedom has required generations willing to sacrifice comfort, wealth, and even life itself for the sake of others.

For Christians, our greatest freedom came at the highest possible cost. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the judgment our sin deserved so that we might be free from sin, death, and the power of Satan. The cross reminds us that eternal freedom was purchased, not cheaply, but with the precious blood of the Son of God.

Perhaps that is why Patrick Henry's cry, "Give me liberty or give me death," still stirs our hearts. There are truths worth living for—and some worth dying for.

The Declaration reminds us that "all men are created equal." Exodus reminds us why: every person bears the image of the Creator. No Pharaoh, government, employer, or culture can erase that God-given dignity.

And the words from “America the Beautiful” —"Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life"—point us beyond patriotism to the heart of Christ Himself. He loved not Himself first, but the world He came to save.

This Independence Day, don't let these phrases become empty slogans. Remember the Hebrews crying out beneath their burdens. Remember Moses standing before Pharaoh. Remember the God who hears, remembers, sees, and acts. Remember those who purchased earthly freedom with sacrifice. And above all, remember the Savior who declared, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)

Freedom has never been a cliché. It has always been a gift worth protecting, celebrating, and using to glorify God.