This verse appears several times in the book of Judges:

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

‭‭Judges‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Without a standard or authority, individuals acted based on their own desires and interpretations of right and wrong, resulting in widespread chaos, corruption and violence.

The foreshadowing of the need for a king was obvious if society was to survive.

People have a need to be governed to thrive, flourish, and remain safe. Reasonable guidance with reasonable consequences are primary functions of social governance.

Problems accrue when government forces, controls, constrains, and constricts in excess.

As a takeaway, we need enough freedom to make our own individual good or bad choices but not so much freedom that political, philosophical, or social anarchy prevails.

God never forces his hand.

His standards lie in that realm of human choices: to love God and his standards that bring life, or to be lovers of self where everyone does as they see fit to their own eventual demise.

And then there’s Samson and Delilah…

The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭16‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

After sharing three very wrong answers with her…

“Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.””

‭‭Judges‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In spite of his love for her, she had evil motives in discovering his secret and he’d provided himself with three opportunities to realize this.

Is love blind?

Her shaming and manipulation eventually brought down Samson, stealing the true secret of his strength and eventually his own life.

Love is blind. Or at the very least, it can too easily weaken our resolve.

I realize this may be the simplest takeaway of many we can derive from their story, but because of his arrogance and ignorance, it consequently turned deadly.

Samson was captured and had his eyes gouged out by the Philistines, which both ironically and symbolically illustrates my point so poignantly.

Love is blind.

Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord.

And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.

‭‭Judges‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The heart of God is one of repeated betrayal followed by repeated forgiveness.

His people repeatedly left him to serve other gods despite his miraculous works in their favor.

Stubborn and rebellious, they always ran back to his care and protection and he was merciful.

They merited no favor but he provided it nonetheless.

Not unlike these Old Testament accounts, the New Testament is about Jesus offering salvation and eternal life despite our sinfulness on repeat.

Belief in Christ changes you.

Days of wholesale rejection of God by believers was essentially over, replaced by an orientation to righteousness and obedience.

Not perfect, but now always trying.

That critical shift in our thinking and orientation occurring at the words of what we call ‘the sinner’s prayer’ is all God needs to redeem us and to begin his good work within us.

Old Testament accounts often foreshadow reports in the New Testament.

If you think about it, becoming a follower of Christ and being known as a Christian is probably the best example of ‘names have been changed to protect the innocent.’

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, 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 ‭24‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There comes a time when all must take a stand for their beliefs.

Some will identify with false gods and proudly so to their ultimate demise.

As for you and your house, who do you serve and how does that service take shape?

Leading your own tribe obedient to God is a formidable challenge largely dependent upon the character of the leader.

In the workplace, we know that employees don’t quit because of the organization but do quit because of the leader. That’s a lot of pressure.

Truth be told, not all members of my tribe were enamored with my leadership and consequently do not serve my God. It’s my biggest regret and my biggest hope that my current Godly leadership may someday repair.

Freedom of choice is divinely given everyone.

It will lead you to an empty destination or it will lead you to a fullness of passion and purpose.

Either way, leadership is the crucial directing element. And where mistakes have been made, God is the great fixer through Jesus.

Usually I post my Bible study takeaways each morning.
Not today.

For those of you who have adopted these as your morning devotions, thanks and think on this as today’s substitute.

“I am the Lord your God” appears hundreds of times in the first 5 books of the Bible, called the Torah.

The phrase “I am the Lord your God” serves as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and power, and encourages people to trust in God’s ability to provide and deliver, which he demonstrated over and over again.

Most notable, the phrase opens the giving of the 10 commandments.

God’s very personal introduction is the bond he makes with his people. You are included in his reference.

It’s both humbling and satisfying to know the God of the universe establishes his ownership of us so many times with that phrase.

Think on that. I do all the time.

Have a wonderful day today. 

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The extended daylight allowed the Israelites a decisive victory over the Amorites and underscored Joshua’s unique relationship with God as an undefeatable ally of Israel.

Not every winning strategy is initiated by God. He allows and welcomes the initiative and wisdom of his people to carry out his will.

All too often we put off decisions in wait to hear from God when he clearly has already equipped us to think and decide prayerfully for ourselves.

Hasty decisions are often those stuck in and overwhelmed with emotions. But if you can reason to a good decision or conclusion, you should. There’s little sense to be made for further delay.

And leave some wiggle room for an unexpected miracle or two provided by God as a reward for your wisdom, boldness and confidence.

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.

It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off.

So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

They all knew they were to cross the river, yet none knew it would happen in the same way as their Red Sea crossing out of Egypt.

I think we all long to be part of a grand miracle only God could craft. And twice in a lifetime? What a faith-builder!

But blessed is he who has not seen, yet believes.—John 20:29

Today, most of us rely on a spiritual diet consisting of God’s promises and daily provisions we rarely view through a miraculous lens. At least not water-parting miraculous.

But the fact that a perfect creator would seek out and redeem an imperfect creation is kinda miraculous in itself. And that his only condition for the gift of eternal life is to believe it to be true and to act that belief out in our lives is also a bit of a miracle to say the very least.

So until the actual seas part ahead of your journey, humble yourself.

Reframe coincidences, outcomes of your prayers, and rescues against all odds as personal evidences of the living God in your actual life and boldly cross over to the other side on dry land and into your promised land.

Tomorrow is just another day.

A fresh beginning to a new year, a clean page on life’s calendar, a symbolic start to better intentions, clarity in focus, or maybe nothing more than a simple sentimental morning to contemplate the parade of your life thus far.

I hope you will use the day off work with a little extra time to clear slates and imagine how the new year might unfold for you.

Others will wake desperate for aspirin and coffee, football distractions or to clean up wild night messes before sleeping away the day’s remains from which they only recently arrived home.

I suspect more than a sober few will be thinking deeper thoughts throughout the day. Plans for self-restraint, how to be a little nicer, quit a bad habit, or start one better.

For curious and contemplative minds the options are limitless.

So, applause to those making use of this new day as a personal prompt for positive change, at least in thought, if not in deed. It’s a good day for it.

Some require an external catalyst, a nodal event, or an arbitrary date of a year to propel them into deeper thoughts and richer inner lives.

Shocked or startled, they may shake to their cores, begging for change, repeating that awful truth that once again, they waited for something to force their hand.

Regardless, there is a glorious redemption that the only difference between last year’s regrets and this year’s successes is just another day, like today, and how we will use it.

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Crossing the Jordan River to claim the land promised by God was as much an anticipated turning point for the Israelites as was their exodus from Egyptian slavery.

They were preceded by Levites carrying the ark of the Lord which was a miracle itself as its weight was crazy heavy.

They were ready. Communities ahead were nothing short of petrified, and the revered ark of the covenant was advancing ahead of their victories.

The long awaited moment had arrived.

There’s something powerful to be said for having a plan sanctioned by God with assured victory in your path.

For some, the new year symbolizes manifestations of new goals and big changes.

Cheers to them.

Cheers also to those who have faithfully and successfully executed bite-sized plans all year long and enjoy the equally divine results of a disciplined life.

Whatever gets you to your promised land best, may the Lord bless your journey and give 2025 victoriously over and into your hands.