Judges 8-12

I read Judges 8-9 yesterday. It was good stuff. Pretty straight forward so not a lot of comments.

I read Judges 10-12 this morning.

10:6-7 - ... And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them.... - I seriously wonder many times if someone were writing the history of our lives and our church what would they write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Would they have to write that we forsook God and no longer served Him? Would they have to right that we honored God with our lips, bu tour hearts were far from Him? Would they be able to write that we were devoted to Him in the right kind of way?

10:14 - Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble. - I am sure some people would be offended by this, but I have no issue with it. If they really believe that serving these false gods is right then why would it be wrong for God to remove Himself from the situation and let them have what they want? So often we want to live like hell and yet have God present us with heaven. We need to realize that we choose by our faith and the actions it causes whether we live with peace or in chaos. We have to learn to stop blaming God and start taking responsibility for our choices. God is willing to rescue and bless, but He won't force it.

11:29 - Then then Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. - Just love verses about the Spirit of God coming on people.

11:34-40 - I have never fully understood this section of Judges. I have heard people try to make sense of it by saying Jephthah would not let his daughter marry, but the text says a burnt offering. The best I have come up with is that God NEVER condones or accepts this anywhere in Scripture. It seems like maybe it is something from the pagan culture that Jephthah does that God would not have him do.

12:1 - What's up with the Ephraimites and always trying to start a fight after someone else goes off to war and has a victory? What is that all about?

Love, Michael