More than Skills

1 Samuel 9 tells us that Israel's first king, Saul, was "an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others." Saul had skills. He was the biggest and the strongest. He was the giant of Israel.
When Saul was confronted with the giant of Philistia he saw that his strength and skill was not enough. Sadly, Saul, did not think of the strength of God.

David came along in his weakness (too young to be a part of the standing army) and he killed the giant. Yes, David had some serious sling-skills... but clearly this story highlights the difference between the skill of strong flesh, and the skill of a heart that trusts the LORD. David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

By his faith in the LORD to deliver, David became a champion of Israel against impossible odds. He foreshadows our ultimate champion, Jesus, the descendant of David who would defeat the ultimate giant, death.

Stealing Glory

Our God is jealous for his glory. Jealousy is usually seen as a negative thing. God's jealousy for his own glory, however, results in our ultimate joy. We do not find happiness by diminishing or neglecting God's glory- but by enjoying it and celebrating it. In Hebrew, the word glory= greatness or weightiness. Much like the word "great" in modern English, glory could mean impressive in a general sense, or it could mean physically fat.

In 1 Samuel 2, we get the report that Eli's sons are stealing meat before the fat has been cooked away. God makes it clear in chapter 3 that he is going to judge Eli and his sons for their sin. Eli is the classic "passive" father who shakes his head, but does not restrain his sons.
In chapter 4, the Philistines defeat Israel in a battle, so Israel decides to bring out their token of God's glory (the Ark of the Covenant), to add a little greatness to their side. God makes it clear that His glory is not something to be manipulated. God allows the Israelites to be defeated, the Ark to be captured, and Eli's sinful fat-stealing sons to die.
When Eli hears the word of the defeat, he "fell backward off his chair... His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy (fat/glorious)." (1 Samuel 4:18)
Then his grandson is born, and just before dying in child-birth, the mother names him "Ichabod" which means "no glory" and she said, "The glory has departed from Israel."
God is jealous for his glory- not just because it rightfully belongs to him, but also because it is the true source of our joy. When we steal glory for ourselves, it brings pleasure for a while, but eventually our necks will break under the weight that we cannot bear and our children will be called Ichabod.

Gideon...mighty warrior?

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." Judges 6:12. Now, for those of us who are familiar with Gideon's later conquests, that passage makes sense. But only if you ignore what the Israelites and Gideon were doing when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. The Israelites were hiding from the Midianites in caves and in the mountains. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so the Midianites wouldn't get the wheat. Hardly the model of a mighty warrior. Further, once God encountered Gideon, it took three miraculous events before Gideon got on with the work he had been called to (fire consuming the offering and two dew-fleece events). Eventually, Gideon fulfilled God's calling - to be a mighty warrior. God often gives us our name and purpose, in this case "mighty warrior," long before it fits or makes sense to us. Ours is to take it on faith, grow into it through obedience, and live it out by God's power.

Leadership

As a young man with a family, the words of Joshua have special meaning for me.

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua has been a leader from the day we first met him. Only he and Caleb had the courage to give a good report to Moses when the 12 spies went forward into Canaan. Joshua apprenticed for 40 years under Moses, the man to whom God talked face to face. But this . . . but this is leadership that I understand today.

As for me - - God is my God. And I speak for my family - - God will be their God too. Men, lead your families in this way. We all serve something or someone. Serve the Lord.

Strange Battle Plan

God's battle plan doesn't always come out the way we would plan it. God parts the Jordan River for the Israelites. They triumphantly cross over into the Promised Land. They set up a monument to remind them that the LORD is powerful. Then God has them all circumcised!

I think the equivalent would be sending U.S. troops to Kuwait to acclimate, then bringing them into Iraq, and then performing surgery on all of them and having them laying around in tents, unable to move for a week or two. This is not how we would plan our attack. We would minimize the risk, and thereby minimize our need to depend on God. But God seems bent on showing Israel that they are in need of Him. As we'll see in the battles that come... they are completely dependent on God. The whole sequence is then punctuated with an observation of the Passover- celebrating the lamb who was their substitute. Joshua and Israel are only ready to conquer the Promised Land after God makes it clear that HE is in charge. Even their conquering is a gift of His Grace.

An iron yoke...

In Deuteronomy 28:15-19, the Lord cautions the Israelites that curses will befall them if they do not follow the law. Later, in verse 48, one of the curses, captivity, comes with the warning of an "iron yoke." The same sort of yoke that is used to harness working animals. A heavy burden. The consequences of violating the covenant. The Good News for us is that the covenant we now live under comes with the offer of a different kind of yoke. Jesus invites us to take on his yoke. To rest. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

The same price as a slave

Thirty shekels of silver was the price to be paid if a bull gored a slave. If a bull gored a son or a daughter, the owner of the bull could be redeemed by paying whatever was demanded. But a slave was worth just thirty shekels. This paltry amount was considered an insult later in Zechariah 11:12. In Matthew 26:15, it became the famous price paid for the betrayal of Jesus. He was sold for the same price as a slave.