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Hear the narration here: https://bit.ly/3n4SC5s
1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. 4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, "Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.' " (Judges 4:1-7 NRSV)
Happy Wednesday ConCafe Family! Blessings to you, Friend, for joining us in our daily study of God's word and time in prayer. As we pray, we know the needs of the world, of our nation, of our community, of our neighbors, and of our family and friends. Pray for one another, and say a prayer for yourself as well.
This is our story (again). It's part of what scholars call the prophetic cycle; the people of God sin, they find themselves far from God, they suffer a catastrophe of some kind, cry out to God, God saves them; and they sin again. That's my story. And I'm trying not to stick to it! Someone once said, "It's just like what shampoo bottles say, "Lather, Rinse, and repeat." And that's true. In spite of what they knew and celebrated, they always found an excuse to sin and do what was wrong in God's eyes. Instead of staying on the "straight and narrow," they found the crooked path and down that path they walked. It's like those on a diet; tough road to follow and as long as we stay away from the most tempting foods, we're fine, but along comes a seven-layer chocolate cake, or rich banana pudding, and it's all over. And so it was Israel. Their king died and they decided it was best to do what they wanted to do all along.
The consequences are usually attributed in a way that says what it says in today's passage, "The Lord sold them into the hand of ______ (fill in the blank). And this was a terrible thing, and soon Israel cries out to the Lord for help! "We'll never do it again, we promise!" Well, it's not actually in the scripture, but you know they said it! So, for twenty cruel years, they suffered under the oppressive hand of King Jabin and his ruthless general, Sisera. And where do you think God went to find a deliverer? To a woman by the name of Deborah, who was a prophetess and the ruling judge of Israel. She sat under a palm named in her honor, and as the people ask for judgment, she sends for Barak, from Kedesh in Naphtali and it is on him to bring an army to fight against Sisera, and the army of Jabin. What we do know is that God has said they would be victorious in that fight. Who could possibly be afraid at this point?
The story ends with a tease; those of us who are familiar with the story know the answer. Suffice it today with this; how do we handle our failings before God? Are we willing to "fight" to regain our standing with God in a faithful relationship? Or, do we surrender and hide? We must repent and turn away from whatever led to our being alienated from God; and then work/fight hard to see that we not fall into a constant failing before the Lord.
PRAYER: Loving God, may my actions today reaffirm my faith. May my decisions come from that faith. May the direction of my faith be ever onward and upward. Hold my hand, steady my pace, and certainly, pick me up when I falter and fall. Let my life be a witness to those who also struggle; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless someone with an encouraging phone call or note!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
