Category: Bible (Page 214 of 418)

The book of Judges describes a nation sliding into chaos—In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

The phrase first pops up to describe a man who paid for a silver idol, which was then stolen by a group of armed raiders and placed at the center of their new city after they slaughtered the inhabitants of the old one. Thus, the founders of Dan laid an adulterous foundation for their new capitol.

Doing whatever seems right in my own eyes remains completely modern. Our society promotes a fierce determination to make ourselves into whatever we want. We promote ourselves and demand others celebrate our choices with us.

But as we see from Judges, this impetus lies deep among the roots of our hearts. Take what I want, place myself at the center, and make decisions best benefiting me. I nod to a higher power for a blessing, like one rubs a lucky charm. But I shy away from the living God who demands surrender.

It’s easy for me to view these Danites with superiority, but am I not tempted in the same way each and every day?

Watch your step. The allurement of living in whatever way seems right in our own eyes never fades. Neither does the suffering that eventually comes with it.

Judges 18 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Road Trip with Raj

After fighting a bloody battle against Israel’s enemies and achieving a stunning victory, Samson felt thirsty. Beating to death a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass drys a man out.

In desperation Samson cried to the Lord, You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?

Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

En Hakkore in Hebrew translates to Caller’s Spring in English. Like He did for Moses in the wilderness, the Lord provided water from a rock for Samson. I love the name given the new spring, which still flowed at the time this account was recorded. The label served as a reminder to always seek the Lord, especially in our thirst.

Keep calling. The Lord hears the desperate.

Judges 15 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Michael Surazhsky

Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!

He is risen indeed!

Luke 24 in reading the Bible in 2023

Dawn of Resurrection by Joaquin Vaquero Turcios, 1956

As a staff member with Campus Crusade for Christ I sat under the teaching of Bill Bright, the founder of the organization, many times. One talk still resonates after all these years. In a gathering for young staff men Dr. Bright predicted three great temptations—sex, pride and materialism.

Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate the wisdom of these warnings. As a psalmist, David couched similar sagacity in the words, the sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.

What gods tempt today? Sex, pride and materialism dance before us. Add to these the incessant drums of narcissism and self-fulfillment. Dr Bright’s talk (he always spoke at length) would need a few more points.

Contrast running after another to sticking close to the God of the Bible. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Expanding sorrows or a pleasant inheritance? One certainly sounds better than the other, and as Dr. Bright clarified, both are within our grasp.

Psalm 16 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Guido Hofmann