How to Live

 Judges 6-8    Psalm 108    Matthew 5-7

Today’s reading from Judges opens with Israel doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord and therefor being made captive once again. Most of the Israelites find themselves hiding in caves in the mountains out of fear for their lives. From their midst Gideon is called to lead them out of the hands of the Midians.

Gideon struggles with the call and ask the Lord to give him a sign, not once but twice. Then as Gideon calls the army together, a force of 32,000, the Lord tells him they are too strong and if they go out Israel will want to claim the victory as theirs and it will be the Lord’s victory. When they are done sorting out only 300 are left and it would be those few that would deliver Israel and overrun the army of Midian with the Lord’s leading and work As Gideon pursues the remnants of Midian the surrounding countries refuse to support him and provide for his men. They are told that they will pay a price for their lack of belief not just in Gideon but the Lord. He does return and destroy the leaders and their symbol of power.

When the people of Israel ask Gideon to rule over them, he refuses and tells them it is the Lord that will rule over them. He does take gold as a spoil of the war, create a garment from the gold That would become a snare to Gideon and his household in the days to come. For the next forty years there is peace in the land. When Gideon dies the leaders, and the people turn from the Lord to Baal. They also turn their backs on the descendants of Gideon.

David’s song today proclaims that his heart is steadfast in his trust of the Lord. It will always be the power of the Lord that will deliver them. He calls on God to deliver them from their adversaries because deliverance by the hand of man will always be in vain. God is the one to be praised.

Today we read what has become known as the sermon on the mount. The Gospel of Matthew tells us when Jesus retreated to the mountain to restore from his work in the midst of the crowd his disciples sought him out. It was then that he taught them what is a message that I think outlines the teaching of Jesus throughout his life briefly but powerfully. Taking the time to read through it slowly and reflect on what he taught is worthwhile. It is important to make sure we reflect on what he meant and not what we want it to mean, or maybe even what we were taught it meant. It ends reminding us, as it did the disciples, that we will choose to follow the ways and commands of God or to reject them with how we will live for eternity in the balance. For those of us that take on the task of teaching others we must always make sure we are pointing to Jesus and not our own desires.