Day 131 – May 11, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 15-17, 2 Peter 1 2 Peter Bible Project Sign up for the new email service, and please email me if there are any problems. We have until July to figure out the best service to continue email updates of the devotions. Sign up here: FollowIt “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” (2 Peter 1:3–7, TNIV) Samson’s story is one of carnage, betrayal and brutality. It is difficult to read the text and understand God’s purposes. Why would God give him strength, especially after his abuses of it? But God’s ways are higher than our own. And as much as we might question the life of Samson and ponder God’s use of Samson, we aren’t smarter than God. Besides, God in his mysterious ways does appear to use this Samson story to show himself to the Israelites as far superior to any other gods. The Philistines fancy themselves victorious and hail their gods as superior. In their gloating and pride, the whole thing literally crashes down on them. Our 2 Peter reading offers us something else that we ought to pursue, rather than power and control. It’s an invitation to much more than brute strength of Samson. Jesus teaches us that we do not use strength to gain power in the world. Rather, we are given everything we need for a godly life. Jesus helps us see what is most important. It isn’t power to carry out our will, rather, it’s the divine work of God in our life to live a holy life. God is at work, giving us his divine strength, so that goodness, godliness, perseverance and love would pour out of our lives and sustain us. In this, we become eyewitnesses of His Majesty! We declare the superiority of our God, Jesus Christ our Lord! Jordan
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Day 130 – May 10, 2021
Judges 12-14, Psalm 143 “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Psalm 143:8–10) “In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.” (Psalm 143:12) I don’t know what to do with the Samson story. It’s problematic because there is a tension. He’s a Nazerite, so why is he pursuing a Philistine for a wife? Why is God seemingly alright with this? We get a text clue that God wanted an altercation with the Philistines. Why an altercation? I suppose God will use the Philistines, much like he used the Egyptians. Egyptians became a way for God to display his great power. And the Philistines will take on this same role in relationship to the Israelites. The altercations with these people are only getting started. Perhaps the point is what we get in Psalm 143 – “Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.” The difficulty of the world is great, but God is greater. God be with you. Jordan Sign up to receive new emails, following this link https://follow.it/jordan-ickes-devotions?action=followPub Day 129 – May 9, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 10, Psalm 44, Judges 11 Happy Mother's Day. Sign up for the devotions to be delivered to your email. HERE “If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psalm 44:20–22, TNIV) Judges 10-11 is a lesson on the Lord being our Shepherd, or in this case, not being looked to as the leader of Israel. There is tragedy, condemnation and death in the story of Judges 10-11. The tragedy of Jephthah’s story is the heartache that occurs when Yahweh is not exclusively the God whom you are loyal and worship. Jephthah has other influences and it leads to the bargaining vow with Yahweh. He doesn’t appear to understand the graciousness of Yahweh. He could have simply turned his heart and devotion to God. God knows our heart! Yet Jephthah makes a vow with God in order to get home. And in the terrible misfortune of things, it costs his daughters life. Paul will take this Psalm 44 and reframe it within the hope of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We are encouraged to shed all outside influences that lead us to see God poorly. Paul frames Psalm 44 in light of the resurrected Lord: “Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:34–39). Our Lord is interceding for us. We have a Shepherd, we can turn to him. It’s his sacrifice that will bring us home. Jordan To continue reading this post as an email update, you will need to sign up for a new subscription. The service I currently use will no longer be supported in July. Thank you! https://follow.it/jordan-ickes-devotions?action=followPub Day 128 – May 8, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 9, Psalm 120 Email Subscription service is changing. Please Update your email subscription here Abimelech grasps for power. He consolidates power under his name so he can rule and reign with an iron fist. He proves himself to be a bloodthirsty warmonger. There is so much death under his reign, there is no peace. Not much can be said positively about this. I suppose what comes to mind today is Jesus’ words, “those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” In the case of Abimelech, he almost dies of a stone, but instead the sword pierces him. He lived by the sword and died by the sword. I join with the Psalmist in calling for peace, “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” Let’s pursue peace today in Christ. Surrounded by war, we are a people of peace. Blessed are the peacemakers! Jordan P.S. Feedburner is done in July. I need you to update to this new program called "follow.it" It will continue to email the devotions to you each morning. Thank you! Update by following the link below. https://follow.it/jordan-ickes-devotions?action=followPub Day 127 – May 7, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 7-8, Psalm 83 Psalm 83:18 (TNIV) — 18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. God uses Gideon to drive out the Midianites. He famously reduces the fighting group down from thousands down to a few hundred men. God makes the way for them to drive out the Midianites, and the purpose of it is to show the might and power of God. Israel, when they get it right, point to the Lord as the Most High over all the earth. When they get it wrong, well, we see it at the end of chapter 8: Judges 8:33–35 “No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34 and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.” It’s frustrating how quickly the Israelites turn from the Lord. The cycle of apostasy and return to the Lord is beginning again. We join with the Psalmist today, “Let them know that the Lord Jesus alone is Most High over all the earth.” Jordan P.S. Starting in July, “feedburner” is no more. That’s the current email subscription service I use to send you the devotions each day. To continue receiving the devotions in your inbox, you need to follow the link below and sign up for emails again. Let me know if you have any questions. Follow this link, or click on the green image below. https://follow.it/jordan-ickes-devotions?action=followPub Day 126 – May 6, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 5-6, Psalm 121 Psalm 121:1–2 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” The Psalmist looks to the mountains and asks, “Where does my help come from?” There are a few options happening here in the psalm. One, it could be referencing the mountains as a place of hiding for protection. The “help” gained from the mountains is their strategic military advantage. Or it could be that lifting the eyes to the mountains is referencing Zion, the holy mountain of God’s presence. It could also be a reference to foreign gods. I lean towards this interpretation. Foreign gods, Asherah polls and other Ancient Near Eastern idols were commonly positioned on high ground for all to see. So, in this interpretation, it is presumed that the psalmist looks to the skyline and sees all of the available options for whom he might turn for help. Is it the gods of the Canaanites or is it Yahweh? Of course, the rest of the psalm is a declaration that the help he is looking for is from the Lord. He is alive, he is moving, he is caring, he is at work, always. He won’t let your foot slip! In our Judges reading, Gideon is called, “Jerub baal” and its speculated translation is, “Baal Contends.” As if to say, “let Baal contend for himself.” The psalmist looks to the hills and knows that God will contend for himself and contend for his people as well. Baal can’t help himself if he falls over. But Yahweh, well, he can not only take care of himself, he will also take care of all of creation. Psalm 121:7–8 “The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” He will care for you, Jordan Day 125 - May 5, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 3-4, Psalm 20 Today’s reading begins the cyclical pattern of the Israelites and their relationship with God. It goes like this: Turning from God, God’s judgment and punishment, repentance, and then deliverance. This will cycle throughout the book of Judges. The nations have stayed there in the land of Canaan as a form of testing the Israelites. Will they remain faithful or not? God will use the nations to carry out his purposes. Will Israel show itself faithful to God? As each turn away from God becomes progressively worse, the deliverance God offers the Israelites becomes greater as well. I suppose, the greatest deliverance comes for the greatest of sins. Perhaps in our case, it is that the greatest Deliverer comes for us all. All have sinned. The wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus. The Greatest Sin has the greatest Deliverer God Bless, Jordan Day 124, May 4, 2021
Scriptures: Judges 1-2, Psalm 50 Judges Bible Project Book Overview Judges 2:10–12 “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger.” Today’s text strikes us right in the heart. As we progress through the Bible, we are met with the amazing story of God’s redemption and promises. God has been faithful to the Israelites. Over and over again, he proves his faithfulness to the Promise given to Abraham. “Another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” They rejected God, and God gives them what they want. Israel’s purpose was to be devoted to the Law and ways of God. After failing to drive out completely those residing in the land, the remnants of Canaan influence and lead the next generation of Israelites to forget God and his faithfulness. It is a tragedy. They have rejected God, forsaking him, and now they face the consequences. This passage can strike fear in us. Have we turned our back from God? What are we teaching the next generation about the faithfulness of Jesus? We aren’t tasked with driving out from the land those who reside here. Rather, we are called to give witness and testimony of the faithfulness of Jesus. We are called to be a loving witness in the world. I am challenged by this text, to love my children well, and lead them to have a deep and meaningful relationship with God. Where they know the story of God’s faithfulness, the loving gift of life in Jesus Christ. Share today the story of God’s love. Jordan Day 123, May 3, 2021 Scriptures: Psalm 119:89-176 Psalm 119:132 "Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name." God will give you as much of Him as you desire. He will give you as little of Him as you desire. If you desire a small portion, you will get a small portion. I heard that in yesterday's message from Ken Baker. He shared from the perspective of David, who wanted much of God. Psalm 119 is a poem of the affection and love for Go, His Word and His law. Let's join with the Psalmist Lord give us much of you! Jordan Day 122, May 2, 2021
Scriptures: Psalm 119:1-88 Bible Project on Psalm 119 Psalm 119:59 - I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. That’s really it, isn’t it? We consider our ways versus God’s way. Upon careful analysis, we understand rightly that God’s law, precepts, and judgments are far better than our own. The study of the law, and scriptures is to turn our feet, our path towards God. Stay the course in our study of scripture, that we might continually walk in the way of the Lord. Turn our feet towards the Lord. Jordan |
AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
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