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
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AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
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