God With Us

Matthew 1:23

23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).


My home congregation, growing up, was called Immanuel.  Sort of.

The original leaders thought 'Shiloh' would be a good name for the church, the place where God's people gathered (Joshua 18).  The German pronunciation was more like 'Silo' than 'Shiloh,' and this named seemed appropriate for a small church in a farming community.  But the official name is Immanuel.

Matthew said that the baby Savior should be called Immanuel (God with us) as well as Jesus (The Lord Saves).  Since no one in the Gospels ever called Jesus by the name 'Immanuel,' it seems that name holds more purpose in meaning than identification.  The miracle of the incarnation is that God came to us - the God of the universe became a helpless baby; the Word became flesh.

The "im" is the preposition "with."  "manu," the substance of the word, is an elongated pronoun meaning "us."  "El" is short of Elohiem or the Hebrew word for 'god,' here specifically referring the one and only God.  With-us-God = Immanuel.

This Christmas season the word struck me differently than before since I noticed the lack of a verb. God-with-us is not really a complete thought, but it implies the verb "is" making the sentence "God is with us."  Implied words happen often in other languages, and even in English nearly every imperative sentence, every command that is given, is missing a subject.  "Pick up your room."  is a complete sentence and implies the subject 'You' at the beginning - "You, pick up your room."  The one word sentence "Listen." does the same - "You, listen."  Since there is no verb in Immanuel, we can imply the verb 'is.'

But since there is no explicit verb written, you might find that this Christmas you are better served by implying the past tense of the verb - was. God was with people when he was born in Bethlehem.  God was with us, this year.  There were some interesting times, some difficult challenges, some hard decisions, but God was indeed with us through them.

Maybe the same could be said about your future as you look ahead at the unknown.  Our country is in a war with the threat of other wars, in financial troubles, and falling behind as a world power, but God will be with us.  Families and jobs may look different in the coming year, but God will be with us.

However, at any given moment you must live in the present.  You can learn from the past and prepare for the future, but you must live in the present.  Therefore, maybe the most appropriate implied verb is the present form - God is with us.  God came down from heaven on Christmas and was with people here on earth for a time, and he will return to judge the world and take us to heaven in the future, but right now you need to know that God is with you.

Immanuel.

Unexpected

One of my favorite stories of surprises is the first time Susan Boyle auditioned on the Britain's Got Talent television show.  When she entered, the judges and audience saw a goofy lady, but when she began to sing they were filled with awe.  The smiles and cheering are contagious.

One of my classmates in kindergarten would often be caught eating glue during our art and crafts time.  We may have laughed at the time, but now he is known as the guy who controls a multi-million dollar company, not the guy who eats glue.  

The truth of finding the unexpected is connected to the principle Jesus taught about judging.

Matthew 7:1-2

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

You are a wonderful person.  Sometimes people are able to see that, and sometimes that gets hidden in the messy reality of the world that we live it.  That messiness does not define you, so don't let it.  Don't judge others.  Don't let the judgments of others control you.

Unfortunately, we live in a world that will remain messy this side of heaven.  God is with you through that messiness, and wants to develop a deeper relationship with you.  He wants to talk to you, and he wants to listen, as well.  

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

He will answer the door, so don't hesitate to knock!

What is needed?

What do I really need...

There are probably more things that we think we need than we actually need.  According to our science class, we need food, air, water, and shelter.  Society would say you need a job, community, and transportation.  Commercials from many different companies are telling me that I need a new car, and I am tempted to think they are right.

Some theorists would say that we need safety, a purpose, and our highest need is love.  That may true since God is love.  1 John 4:8.

Six out of the seven petitions in the Lord's prayer deal with concerns that might be considered more spiritual: holiness, God's will, God's kingdom, forgiveness, temptation, evil.  One of the encapsulates all the physical concerns we have.

Matthew 6:9-13

   9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

   “‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
   on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.’

This is a little different than the version we usually say in church or chapel.  One of the more significant differences is the request to keep us away from "the evil one" and not just "evil" in general. That makes me curious why it would be rendered differently.  That middle verse, 11, is about physical things and it calls those things 'daily bread.'  It would have reminded people during Jesus' day about the Israelites who were only supposed to collect enough food for one day and depend on God.  It would also have reminded them of a Proverb.

Proverbs 30:8-9
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; 
   give me neither poverty nor riches, 
   but give me only my daily bread. 
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you 
   and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ 
Or I may become poor and steal, 
   and so dishonor the name of my God.

It also might remind us that in John 6, Jesus referred to himself as the Bread of Life, the food that people really need.

As far as 'things': not too much, not too little.  As far as 'God': the more the better.

"God, help us want more of You!"

Why are there 4 Gospels?

If there was only one Jesus, why don't we just have one story about Jesus' life that has the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

One reason is because they have different perspectives.  When there is a big event happening, it's interesting to hear about it from different perspectives.  The local, St. Louis news will cover a story differently than the national news, or a foreign news agency like BBC.  It is not that one of those stories is telling the truth and the others are lying.  Rather, they are all targeting different audiences, explaining things in a way that is helpful to different groups of people.

One great way to see the differences in the four Gospels is to see how they all treat the Christmas story - the story of when Jesus was born.  It might surprise you that not all of them have all the parts that you remember.

The typical Christmas story that you hear most often is Luke 2 with the shepherds and angels.  Only Matthew has the magi with their gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.  Mark has no story of Jesus' birth.  John is rather odd at first, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..."

John is the most symbolic Gospel.  There is more symbolism and poetic features in his Gospel.  The other three, sometimes call the synoptic Gospels because of their similarity, follow a more consistent pattern, but John blazes his trail with seven big miracles that echo the history of God's people, and many confusing statements like Jesus saying "I am the bread of life."  John was writing in response to the Gnostics - a first century religion/philosophy that valued spiritual things above the physical.  John's one-verse Christmas story would have been surprising to them - that the Word took on Flesh!  God became a person.  He moved into our community.

Mark is a very fast paced Gospel with lots of action.  He had a message to get out to people about who Jesus was, and he wanted people to get it soon!  The Christmas story might have been delightful, but there are more crucial things he needed to get to.

Luke emphasizes the outcasts.  It is often said that Luke wrote for the Gentiles, and he probably did as the only non-Jewish author in the Bible.  But he also wrote for the poor, the sinners, and the women (women were considered to have a lower status than men).  While Matthew's story and genealogy connect to Joseph, Luke's Christmas story is from Mary's perspective.  Luke doesn't have the gospel message proclaimed to the important wise men from the east, but rather to lowly shepherds.

Matthew was written to a Jewish audience.  He spends more time showing how Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the promises that God had made about a Messiah, a Savior.

God's blessings to you as you see how God's message of love to you is unique and yet the same in each of the Gospels!

Jesus' Temptations, and Also Ours

Jesus faces temptations from the devil in Matthew chapter 4.  While we may not have the same literal temptations, we often have similar temptations as redeemed children of God.

Mosaic from San Marco Basilica in Venice, Italy

We may not have the temptation to turn rocks into hamburgers, but we do have the temptation to use the power and influence we have as followers of Christ for our own good.  Unfortunate extreme examples of this would include the list of televangelists who have run into trouble with the law for using their power and influence for themselves.

We may not have the temptation to jump off the roof of tall buildings, but we do have the temptation to twist the words of the Bible to fit our needs instead of trying to understand what God is trying to tell us.   It is important to be careful to listen to what God is trying to say to us and separate out what we would want to hear.  Sometimes it is the same, but not always.

We may not face the temptation of controlling the whole earth, but we do face the temptation of losing track of God's intentions and following our own earthly desires instead.  Later in Matthew, Jesus questions his followers if it is really helpful to gain the whole world while losing your soul.  

Matthew 16

Jesus' response to the devil was to quote God's Word.  It may be that Jesus learned verses so that he had an answer for the devil, but it would probably be more accurate to say that Jesus spent so much time in God's Word that it influenced the way that he thought.  The temptations of the devil immediately triggered a response from Jesus since it conflicted with something in Scripture that he already knew was true.  Even the short quotations would have referenced a larger passage, such as Deuteronomy 6:13-16.

 13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah.

Once again, we can see how the incarnation fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament.  Isaiah had many powerful descriptions of what the Messiah would be like, including the promise of his birth that we see in chapter 9.  

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born, 
   to us a son is given, 
   and the government will be on his shoulders. 
And he will be called 
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace 
   there will be no end. 
He will reign on David’s throne 
   and over his kingdom, 
establishing and upholding it 
   with justice and righteousness 
   from that time on and forever. 
The zeal of the LORD Almighty 
   will accomplish this.

May the love and peace of God surround you so that nothing leads you into temptation and you are delivered from the evil one. Amen.

A Voice in the Desert

John the Baptist was a strange man: preaching in the desert, clothes of camel's hair, leather belt, eating locusts and wild honey, washing people in the river, calling for repentance.

However, the Old Testament ends with a strange prophecy - last verses of the last chapter of the last book: Malachi 4:5-6

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

At the time of Malachi, the famous prophet Elijah had already been dead for several hundred years.  Would God  bring back this prophet from the dead?  What does that verse mean?  An interesting bit of trivia - at the Passover, Jewish families would always set one extra place setting, just in case Elijah would show up.  They still do this today!  Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was the Elijah that was promised.  Matthew 17:10-13

Isaiah gives more information about what this "voice in the desert" was supposed to do.

Isaiah 40:3-5
 3 A voice of one calling: 
“In the wilderness prepare 
   the way for the LORD; 
make straight in the desert 
   a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, 
   every mountain and hill made low; 
the rough ground shall become level, 
   the rugged places a plain. 
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, 
   and all people will see it together. 
            For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

His work was to prepare the hearts of the people for the Messiah, for the glory of God is going to be revealed in the person of Jesus.

John got to be quite famous because of his radical message - the Holy Spirit was working in him and allowing the hearts of others to be softened to hear what God was saying to them.  He kept a humble perspective, though.  He did not want people to look at him - he pointed others to Christ.  He told them:

Matthew 3:11
I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

To 'baptize' simply means to wash.  His 'washings' in the Jordan River were symbolic of the repentance that he was encouraging, the changing of lifestyle.  'Repent' literally means to turn around.  Stop walking the wrong way - turn, and move toward God!  However, Jesus was going to bring a more powerful washing that would work on the inside of a person through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The fire foreshadows the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost - Acts 2.

Da Vinci's depiction of John the Baptist,

pointing to the Cross of Christ

John was not wanting people to focus on him, but rather see past himself to see Jesus.  If he wanted people to look at him, it was only to see him pointing toward Jesus.  It is a blessing to be around Christians who, like John, have lives that point to Jesus.  May God bless you as you are such people!

It Points To Jesus

Matthew's Gospel contains many references to events and promises found in the Old Testament.  This makes sense since he primarily wrote to a Jewish audience who was familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures promising a Messiah.  Two significant promises found Genesis speak about Jesus:

Genesis 3:15 

And I will put enmity 
   between you and the woman, 
   and between your offspring and hers; 
he will crush your head, 
   and you will strike his heel

This is also called the protoevangelium or "first gospel," the first time we heard the 'good news' about Jesus coming as the promised Messiah.  It seems a little cryptic, but the emphasis is how one of Eve's offspring would crush the devil's head while the devil would strike at his heel.  On the cross it looked like Satan had won (strikes Jesus' heel), but by doing so he really defeated death and the devil (crushes Satan's head).

God's promise to Abraham is also really powerful - a promise to bless all nations (not just Israel) through him.

Genesis 12:1-3

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

 2 “I will make you into a great nation,
   and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
   and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
   and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
   will be blessed through you.”

How were all nations blessed through Abraham?  Because one of his descendants, Jesus, saved the world.  These two verses stand as two of the four major promises of a Savior in the Old Testament.  The other two would be a promise that David's throne would last forever (through Jesus) and that God is making a new covenant with his people through the prophet Jeremiah.  The whole Old Testament is littered with promises of the Messiah, but these four would be the highest peaks in the mountain range of passages pointing to Jesus.

So, the whole Old Testament points forward to Jesus

And the whole New Testament points back to Jesus

The whole Bible points to Jesus!

Where is David?

Genealogies are usually not the most exciting parts of the Bible.  The first dozen chapters of First Chronicles in the Old Testament is rather dry.  Matthew starts his Gospel with one of these lists, but it's rather exciting when the reader takes a minute to see what Matthew is really trying to say.

Matthew 1:1 - "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Son of Abraham."

Rather odd verse.  Neither of those are literally true statements.  However, Matthew is telling us that it is really important that Jesus came from the line of David since God promised a savior would come through David's family (2 Samuel 7:16) and through Abraham since God promised a savior would come through Abraham's offspring (Genesis 12:3).  God was fulfilling both this promises, and Matthew wanted people to make the connection.

Genealogies are lists which can get repetitive, but the writer is trying to get people's attention when there is a break in the list.   Look for the breaks in Matthew 1 and spend some time finding out why those breaks are significant.


How many times do you see David in the first chapter of Matthew?  More than you might expect!  Matthew was writing to a primarily Jewish audience, and all the good Jews knew that the messiah was coming from the David's line.  So where does Matthew mention David?

Matthew 1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham
Matthew 1:6 and Jesse the father of King David.  David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Matthew 1:17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Six times - pretty good, yeah?  Well, it turns out that there is another place you see David, though it is hidden from us English speakers.

In the Hebrew language, the symbols for the letters were used for numbers, too.  This made it easy for people to assign a number value to Hebrew words.  If this would be done in English, the letter 'a' would still be the letter 'a,'  but if it has a dot over the letter 'a' it would be the number '1.'

The first letters of the alphabet would be:

We could find out how much 'dad' is worth by adding the letters.

        

In Hebrew it looks more like this:

And the name 'David' would be:

(In Hebrew the vowels are not used, so it is just d-v-d)

David would then be equal to:

Why is that important?  Because now you can see David a few more times!

Matthew 1:17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

So why do we have the Bible?  What is so important about what has been written down by a bunch of guys two to three thousand years ago?  The author and apostle, John, was willing to acknowledge the fact that there were a lot of things that happened, even during his own lifetime, that were not written down and recorded for people, but he wanted to give the reason that any of it has been shared.  It's not only the purpose of his book, but I believe it is the purpose of the entire Bible:

John 20:31 "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name."

Dangerous Healer

http://www.freefoto.com/preview/01-28-3/Lion

In the book, The Horse and His Boy written by C.S. Lewis as part of the Chronicles of Narnia, a young man is talking to Aslan, the great lion who represents Jesus in this series.  The boy recounts a time when another lion, a wild and ferocious lion, was chasing him through a forest while he was on his horse, even landing a blow with his claws on the boy's horse.  The boy asked Aslan if he knew this other lion.  Aslan replies that there is no other lion.  In shock, the boy asks why Aslan had been chasing him, so the great lion describes the imminent danger he was in, explaining why such actions were required.

The same perplexed feeling that the boy felt may fill the readers of Hosea 6:1:

Hosea 6:1

Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
    but he will heal us;
he has injured us
    but he will bind up our wounds. 

It is strange to 'return' to the one who has 'torn us to pieces,' the one who has 'injured us.'  He, however, is also the one who heals us and binds up our wounds.  It is hard to see someone suffering in hard times, but when we really trust God to be 'the God that he says he is,' it allows us to walk away from the need to rescue.  God is the only rescuer and savior that will help, and it is powerful when we come to the place of understanding that.

Hosea was speaking to a group of people who had been ignoring God for a while and bad things were coming.  The book of Hosea is a painful love story of a prophet who repeatedly loves a woman who does not deserve it, mirroring a God who repeatedly loves a people who do not deserve it.  This undeserved love flows beyond the book of Hosea into our lives, as well, so that we, too, may rejoice with the psalmist:

Psalm 31:19

How abundant are the good things
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
    on those who take refuge in you. 

Pointing To Jesus

Solomon has been dubbed the wisest person to have ever lived.  He was able to demonstrate this wisdom to foreign diplomats like the Queen of Sheba, to his own subjects through wise judgments, and to all those around through the great prosperity that the nation of Israel experienced during his reign as King of Israel.  God has promised a dynasty for David,

2 Samuel 7:16
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

And this was coming true in the person of Solomon.

1 Kings 8:15
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David.

But Solomon had his weaknesses, as well.  He loved foreign women and was enticed by their gods and pagan rituals.  Soon Israel was struggling, again.

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-4272995222

God had a plan.  He had a plan from the very beginning.  2 Samuel 7:16 is one of the four great promises of the Old Testament.  God made many covenants or promises with his people throughout the centuries, but four of them stand high above the rest, similar to four great mountain peaks reaching high above the multitude:

• Genesis 3:15 Eve's offspring would crush Satan's head
• Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham was called to be a blessing to all people of the earth
• 2 Samuel 7:16 David's throne would last forever
• Jeremiah 31:31-34 The days are coming when God will make a new covenant with Israel

God's plan was not Solomon or any other hero of the faith - everything points to Jesus.  The offspring that would crush Satan's head was Jesus.  Jesus' atoning sacrifice through the lineage of Abraham would be a blessing to all people of the earth.  David's descendant, Jesus, would reign on the eternal throne.  That new covenant, which was whispered since the days of Adam and Eve, would be through Jesus.  Jesus was the answer to all four of the great promises, for the whole Bible points to him.

When we are able to step back and see how the Bible continually points to the person of Jesus, it reminds us that our lives should reflect the same reality.  Like a fleet of ships sailing across the ocean, we are able to avoid the problem of running into each other when we are all pointed toward the same destination, when are lives are all pointed toward Jesus.

Great things point to Jesus.  It stands to reason that we should be oriented toward him, as well.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

How should a Christian respond when they are in a 'helpless' situation?  If a soccer team was loosing the game while the other team cheating and the referees do not seem to care, how should a Christian act? If you are supposed to have more experience before you get a job, but you can't have more experience without doing the job, how can a Christian respond?

freeaussiestock.com

We do not know much about Abigail's life before she encountered David, but chances are it was pretty hard.  Her husband was both "a fool" and one of the most powerful people in the area. He was selfish and self-absorbed. Most people in her position would feel very trapped; the consequences of having Nabal for a husband might be as awful as the consequences of having no husband at all. Without someone to provide for her, she would not have basic necessities.  Having a provider like Nabal was a daily challenge. How did Abigail handle her strenuous home life?

We may not know what her life was like, but we do know how she responded in a crisis - with humility and wisdom.  David was ready to destroy Abigail and her household for her husband  being cruel - it was an extreme response, but it's never a good idea to upset warriors.  Abigail's response sounded something like these Psalms:

Psalm 40:11
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
    may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

Psalm 30:11

You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

Abigail did not act out of anger or with intent to harm anyone, but humbly pleaded for David to spare her husband and household.  Anything else might have been disastrous.

We do not always have the ability to control our situations, but we can always control our responses. Sometimes fairness and justice seem to be lost in the process, but like the Psalmist we should be looking to our higher source for our vindication, not to the popularity found in the people around us.

Maybe being between a rock and a hard place is not so bad if you remember that the Lord is your Rock!  May God reassure you with his peace when it is lacking in your life.

Where to Put Your Trust

During the time of the judges (roughly the time between Moses and David), Israel was given a number of unlikely leaders including one by the name of Deborah.  These days Deborah is used as the name for a female - and it was used in the same way during Bible times.  Surprisingly, the nation of Israel was lead by a woman, one who made wise decisions in peaceful ways (Judges 4-5).  Deborah was given a message from God that the male military leader would win a battle against an enemy that was equipped much better than God's people; the Canaanites had the latest battle technology - chariots.  Israel would be on foot while their oppressors were riding in the "tanks" of their time.  Israel's leader said he would not go into battle without Deborah - he wanted Deborah there to make sure she was really getting this message from God; he was not putting his trust in God.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 

Deborah said that she would go into battle with him, but the honor of the victory will not go to him.  Instead, the honor would be given to a woman (even though that woman was not Deborah!).  Two wise women lead Israel in surprising ways.  Female leaders are much more common these days, but it was a rare occurrence in ancient times.

The central question of the story of Deborah is, "Whom do you trust?"  It is the same question before us nearly three thousand years later.

Isaiah 50:10

Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God. 

The greatest power does not belong to the one who has the most confidence.  Many leaders fall into the trap of thinking they are the answers to the problems of their community and world.  The power is beyond us, yet for those who believe, it is also within us - the one who moved into our neighborhood and lived with humans: Jesus (John 1:14).

Isaiah 50 is known as one of the Servant Songs where the servant of God is described as someone who obeys God and suffers for it.  Isaiah 53 is probably the most well known Servant Song where it describes the servant as being "bruised for our transgression... crushed for our iniquity... and by his wounds we are healed."  He is the one who deserves our admiration and honor.  Jesus is the one who deserves our trust.

There was a very real and a very frightening power the Israelites were up against during the time of Deborah.  You may also be facing something that appears to be beyond you - therefore, trust in the One who is also beyond you, yet within you.

Not Inadequate

The book of Judges is a frustratingly insane part of the Bible (if insane is defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting to get new results).  The Israelites were in their new land and had defeated most of their enemies (part of their problems came from marrying many of these pagan people and being drawn to their gods) after Joshua, and their question became whether to listen to God and obey Him or listen to their own sinful desires.  This created a cycle of being oppressed by a foreign people, crying out to God for help, God sending a judge (leader to deliver the people), enjoying a time of peace and prosperity, and falling back into sinful behaviors.

Gideon was one of the judges.  He was not the big, strong Samson who overpowered the Philistines.  Instead, he was quite the opposite, being a member of the weakest family in the weakest clan in one of the weakest tribes of Israel (Manassah was only a half tribe, not even a full tribe!)

Judges 6:1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years God gave them into the hands of the Midianites.

This the the recurring theme, and once again we find the children of Israel wandering away from the God who had saved them before. God's power is made perfect in a person's weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), for God wanted everyone to know it was He doing the work, not Gideon.  Gideon did not even trust that God was going to help him, at first, and required two different miracles with a sheep skin to prove to himself that God was really going to do this.

We have 20/20 hindsight of the book of Judges, seeing that if they just would have listened to God they could have avoided a lot of pain and suffering.  God did promise grace, that even when things were bad and the Israelites looked like they were out of luck, God would come through and work in their lives again.

Deuteronomy 30:2-3 and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 

God does not use guilt, but the devil will.  God does not want you to be bogged down by your past sins - Jesus already paid full price for you!  Spend some time with God listening to to His voice and what He wants to say to you, for God wants to use you, despite any weaknesses or inadequacies you feel about yourself.

If You Can't Control Your Situation, Control Your Reaction

"It's critical that when you are heading the soccer ball, you strike the ball; don't let the ball hit you."  This is what my high school soccer coach told us.  Most of soccer is played with the feet, but when the opportunity arises and a header is called for, hit it the right way.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alohaxtreme2/1024471715/

The Biblical character, Esther, was in a tough position.  She was not supposed to approach the king without being summoned, but if she did not approach the king many of her Jewish countrymen would be murdered.  Her uncle knew that God was bigger than one person and the fate of the world does not rest on her, but why not let God use her in this unique situation?

Esther 4:14
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

It is similar to striking the soccer ball - that she would be much more effective if she attacked the situation with God working through her rather than just letting the situation come upon her.  She could not change what others wanted to do, but she could control her reaction.

The writer of the book of Hebrews picks up this idea by encouraging his readers and listeners to attack their situations and live on purpose.  The world does not need more people who just react to what is given to them - God wants to use people who will run the race marked out for them.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

These words follow Hebrews 11 which is known as the great faith chapter - the definition and word are used in powerful ways to show how God has worked through his people and how he continues to work through them, people who see that God is active in their lives.  They lived by faith, therefore fix your eyes on Jesus, get rid of sin, and run.

You are not in your present situation by accident.  Wherever you are, God is working through your circumstances.  You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, so live for Jesus.  God can work through other people, too, but maybe you are where you are for such a time as this.

Restoring the Image

Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, 
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. 

The creation story tells us that people were created in God's image, but it does not explain exactly what that means.  Some would say that it is related to how we look; it is true that Jesus took on human form so there might be some connection.  Others see a quality of God as the image; God is holy, loving, good, righteous, etc.  Another interesting idea is that people are the only ones in creation which are creative.  One great response from class this past week was that God did this so that we would have a better relationship with him - we tend to have better relationships with people we have more in common with!

The unfortunate reality is that we did not stay in God's image, for now we are only a poor reflection of who God is.  Sin caused a separation from what God intended.  The first action of Adam and Eve after falling from perfection was to hide their nakedness and hide themselves.  They were not successful. God found them rather easily, and making clothes out of leaves is not a long term solution.

God cursed the snake, the woman, the man, and the entire earth.  God's perfect creation was no longer perfect, so it could no longer be the eternal paradise that it was created to be.  Instead, God had a plan to redeem the world, and it started with finding new clothes.

At the end of the fall in Genesis 3, we find out that God covered the man and woman with animal skins; God covered their nakedness, their shame, and their sin.  This was the first sacrifice, since it required the life of the animal.  We don't know what animal was sacrificed, but some believe it was a lamb.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/147591

Adam and Eve were covered in the lamb and given new hope.  We also have new hope as ones who have been covered in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).  From the very beginning, God was pointing his people to Jesus - to his own Son who would cover sin once and for all.  Our life came at the price of another, as Paul describes:

Romans 5:20-21
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.