Category Archives: Sanctification

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January 26, 2016

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Pastoral, Sanctification, Scripture

Reading is Not Enough

Every year the elders at our church give a recommended Bible reading schedule that will get someone through the Scriptures in a year. Some of our congregation follow this schedule. Some follow another schedule. As a pastor I know that my congregation cannot grow without a regular steady diet of God’s Word.

But what about when people read God’s Word, but do not grow?  How can someone read the Bible day in and day out, often for years and not become more holy or not see significant spiritual growth? How can someone read the Bible daily, attend sermons weekly and be a spiritual infant? We all know people who have read God’s Word repeatedly and know it well, yet are still spiritually immature or are even drifting further and further from the faith. How does that happen?

There is no one size fits all when it comes to this. There are many reasons why someone reads the Bible and yet does not grow. However, having observed this pattern over the years there are a couple of reasons that consistently show up when this occurs.

Outside Authority
Reading the Bible only produces growth and maturity if the Bible is the absolute authority in one’s life. If there is another authority that trumps the Bible then reading it will produce change when it lines up with that other authority. The authority is what rules a person’s heart, not God’s Word. That authority can be tradition, family, friends, data, anti-naturalistic presuppositions, modernistic individual ideas, Netflix, pleasure, etc. This list is almost endless. Most of us think the Bible is our authority. But when we are confronted with an unpleasant truth from the pages of Scriptures we appeal to someone or something else that allows us to continue as we are. I am not encouraging a me and my Bible only mindset. We need other input. But all other input must be subordinated to the Word of God. We do not grow if there is an outside authority that often confirms our biases and allows us to read the Bible, but not really change.

Reading It for Others 
If I was to pinpoint one main reason why people read the Bible and yet do not grow it is this one. Too many people read the Bible for other people. They read it with the sins and problems of those around them in mind instead of their own. Reading is mainly about teaching others instead humbling ourselves. We prepare a meal for others, but refuse to eat it. Of course, this is a great failure of pastors and teachers. We study, but not for ourselves. We mine the riches of God’s Word, with an eye to the holiness of our people, but not to personal holiness. But it is also a problem among Christians who are not pastors or teachers. We read the Bible so we can teach our spouse or our children. We read it so we can evangelize. We read it so we can confront members of other denominations or confront members of our own churches. We read it to defend certain doctrines. None of this is inherently wrong. But it must not be first. First we should read for ourselves. What does the Lord want to teach me today? Where have I gone astray from his paths? Where has my zeal gotten weak? Has my love for Christ gone cold? Is there a specific sin the Lord is bringing to my attention that I need to repent of? Is there some part of His character he wants me to examine more closely? David uses the word “I” dozens of times in the Psalms. Why? David knew his walk with God was the priority. As we take those truths and apply them we will be fit to teach others with not just our words, but our lives.

Lack of Ongoing Practical Obedience
The Bible is not a magic pill we take to become more holy. To grow in Christ and holiness we must keep pressing. Too often we are like a 40 year old who was a star athlete in high school, but is now overweight and can barely run a 40 yard dash. He talks often his feats in high school not realizing that he has not grown since then. We too look back to previous greatness but are stuck in neutral, coasting through our Christian life. We keep up appearances, but there is no growth happening. One reason we can read and not grow is that we are not pressing forward. We read the Bible last year. We will read it again this year and gain next year. We look back with fondness on growth that occurred 5 years ago or 10 years ago. But we are no longer maturing. We don’t weep over our sins much.  We check the boxes, but do not examine our lives.  We don’t address our specific sins. We don’t cultivate those virtues we are weak in. Sin has taken root and we are too lazy to get in the dirt and pull it out. Holiness is too hard so we read the Bible and talk about the Bible, but don’t obey it. What is interesting about this problem is that when we work hard to grow the Bible comes alive to us. Passages that were dead leap to life.  We stop reciting the same verses over and over and find new ones. Books of the Bible that we thought were irrelevant but read because we had to now become more interesting.  Our eyes are opened to sins we did not see before. We come to love God more and people more. But this does not happen by remembering past battles we have won. It happens because we are still fighting, still on the front lines. It happens because we take God’s Word and push it into the corners of our lives. All the Bible reading in the world will not compensate for laziness in our walk with Christ.

I would encourage reading the Bible over and over again. It is our life. It tells us about our great God, the Son He sent, and the Spirit who now indwells us. It tells us about our sin and the remedy for it. It tells us about the world God made and how to relate to the people in it.  Read and read again. But reading is not enough.  If we don’t believe it is our absolute authority, don’t read it personally, and don’t constantly seek new ways to apply it to our lives we will find that we know the facts of the Bible well, well enough to convince others we are mature. But the reality is we are still spiritual infants.

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January 15, 2016

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Bible, Pastoral, Psalm 119, Sanctification

Psalm 119:14~The Treasure of Obedience

The heart of man is drawn to the riches of this world. Many of us spend large amounts of time and energy acquiring and keeping our wealth. Even those of us who are not wealthy will let our lives be dominated by the desire for wealth or jealousy over those who have it. I grew up in rural Mississippi among some of the poorest folks in this country. Money and how they could get more was the dominant theme of their lives. I have also seen those making six or seven figures worry without end about their money. Do they have it invested wisely? How can I get more? How can I keep more? We believe money will bring happiness, thus we pursue it with all our might.


But for the psalmist all the riches in the world cannot compare to the gold that is mined from the law of God (Psalm 119:14).  He rejoices in the law of God as if God had given him all the wealth in the whole world.  The word “way” is a synonym for the how one lives or his conduct. The psalmist is not just delighting in reading God’s law. The pot of gold is not his daily quiet time. True riches are found when he learns to walk in God’s ways. Obedience to God’s word is what he really longs for. Obedience is his treasure. 

For many of us obedience to God’s Word is a duty. It is like punching the time clock at work or stopping at a red light. Do this or we will get in trouble. But we should aim higher than an obedience which comes from duty. Our goal should be an obedience which comes from delight.  Obedience should be a want to, not a have to. A love for God and his Word and a belief that only in obedience is there true joy should drive us to walk in the way of His commandments.

Why doesn’t obedience to God’s Word delight us more than riches?

We love our sin. This is the most obvious reason the joy of God’s Word is blunted. Many of us want our sin and the Bible at the same time. But it does not work that way. We cannot simultaneously love God’s Word and love our sin. Are you clinging to a sin that might be keeping you from loving obedience? 

We love the world. We treasure this world more than the next. We horde things that rust, die, and rot instead of treasure in heaven. We account for every dime and nickel. Does the world have your devotion, affection, and loyalty instead of God’s Word? Watching your life would men know that you love obedience to God’s Word more than your stuff? 

We are distracted and busy. We do not settle down to think on and consider God’s Word. We do not take time to examine our lives and see if we are obeying. We flit from thing to thing. Days will go by, maybe weeks, and we have seriously thought about our walk with God. Obedience requires a deliberate disciplined life where God’s Word and how to apply it to our lives is meditated on (Psalm 1:2). Could it be that you do not rejoice in obedience to God’s Word because your life is whirlwind? Could it be that you have traded a flurry of activity for the riches of God’s Word? 

What gets our blood pumping more, a six figure income or obedience to the Word? Is God’s Word our delight? Do we long for it more than riches? Does obedience to it bring us joy?  If not, we need to repent and work and pray for the day when we rejoice more over obedience than a raise or bonus. 

Other Posts on Psalm 119
Psalm 119:2-4
Psalm 119:7
Psalm 119:9
Psalm 119:11
Psalm 119:13
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January 13, 2016

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Pastoral, Sanctification

The Battle is Already Lost

At the end of Mel Gibson’s movie  Apocalypto there is quote from Will Durant, “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.” Durant is referring to the fall of the Roman Empire, but throughout Scripture we see this truth applied to God’s people. God’s people fall, not because of the power of their enemies, not because of their lack of resources, not because they are not cool enough or relevant enough. They fall because of sin.

Ai and Ebeneezer
We see this principle worked out in two episodes from the Old Testament, the fall of Ai under Joshua and the taking of the ark of covenant under Eli. Joshua and Israel have just finished marching around Jericho and watching it fall. They basically won without firing a shot. Now they have come to a smaller city, Ai, which should be easily taken (Joshua 7:3).  But it did not work out that way. Israel was beaten back and thirty-six men died. Joshua’s response is striking:

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name? (Joshua 7:6-9)

The Lord does not take kindly to Joshua’s prayer:

The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. (Joshua 7:10-12)

Joshua should know the reason for the defeat. Israel has sinned. Joshua is right to turn to God, but he is wrong to assume that God has randomly thrown Israel to the wolves. God deals with Achan (Joshua 7:25-26) and in chapter 8 Israel defeats Ai.

Later in Israel’s history there is a similar situation. Israel’s priesthood has become corrupt. Eli’s sons are taking food from the offerings (I Samuel 2:12-17) and they are having sex with women at the door of the tabernacle (I Samuel 2:22). Though Eli tries to correct his sons, it is too late (I Samuel 2:24-25). And most importantly he refuses to cut them off from Israel. He honors his sons more than he honors God (I Samuel 2:29). Therefore God promises to cut off his house (I Samuel 2:31). Some time later Israel goes out to fight against the Philistines (I Samuel 4:2). Not surprisingly, she loses. This time four thousand of Israel’s men die. But the response by Israel is quite different from Joshua’s. Though Joshua misunderstood the root problem, he at least knew he needed to go to God. Israel does not even step back and evaluate. They decided the reason they lost was because the ark of the covenant was not on the battlefield (I Samuel 4:3-4). It was not sin or unrighteousness, it was the failure to have the magic ark with them. So they go get the ark, have a pep rally, rush the battlefield and get slaughtered. Hophni and Phineas are killed. Thirty thousand Israelite soldiers are killed. The ark is taken. Eli when he hears the news falls over and breaks his neck. Phineas’ wife goes into labor, has a child, names him Ichabod (Hebrew for There is No Glory) and then dies. I Samuel 4 is one of the more tragic episodes in Israel’s history. What was the problem? Why did Israel lose to the Philistines? Sin.

We know this because later Samuel calls Israel to repent of her sins. When she does repent (I Samuel 7;6), God gives them victory over the Philistines (7:10-11). When God’s people are overrun by her enemies the problem is always sin. When we let sin linger in our homes, churches, denominations, and seminaries the battle is already lost.

What Then Shall We Do? 
When God brings defeat of any kind we need to seek Christ’s face and repent of our sins. Our Puritan fathers were great at this. They assumed every event that was bad, especially defeat by enemies was a sign of God’s displeasure. At times they over did it, but we under do it. We assume that when a denomination fails, pagans begin to run roughshod over us, same sex marriage becomes the law of the land, fornication is rampant among our young people, or another leader is found sleeping with someone other than his wife it is just chance not the hand of God.  We view defeats through a naturalistic lens. Bad things just happen. But they don’t. All things come from God’s hand. When our enemies are winning it is because are churches, homes, and denominations tolerate sin.

The answer to this is twofold: We repent and confess our sins. And we practice church discipline. Achan was cut off. Eli refused to cut off his sons so God did it for him. When a church or denomination refuses to discipline sin she is destroying herself from within. In due time the conquerors will come and mop up the remnants.

An pastor friend was building a house. On the lot there was a huge oak tree.  The tree was beautiful to behold. He brought in a tree doctor to look at what trees he should keep and which ones he should cut down as he prepared to build his home. The tree doctor told him that beautiful oak had to go. “Why?” my friend asked. “It is so magnificent and will provide shade in the summer.” The doctor told him to trust him and wait. The men came and cut down the tree. The inside was rotten. In time a strong wind would have come and blown the tree down. So it is with all men, churches, and denominations who allow egregious sins to go unchecked. It is only a matter of time.

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December 22, 2015

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Pastoral, Politics, Sanctification

Silence in the Gates?

Amos is one of the lesser known prophets. He does not have the same stature among Christians as Isaiah, Jeremiah or even Hosea. Yet Amos is a fascinating book for 21st century Christians because of the intersection in the book between worship, money, politics, and the church.

Amos preached to the Northern Kingdom prior to her destruction by Assyria in 722 B.C. He is the only prophet who preached exclusively to the Northern Kingdom, also known as Israel. Amos begins his book by denouncing the sins of the nations surrounding Israel (Amos 1:1-2:5).  Of course, if you were in the North at the time this would have been wonderful news. Edom, Gaza, Moab, and even your brother to the South, Judah, were directly in the path of God’s wrath. Lots of amens from the pews for this part of the sermon. But then Amos turns his guns on the Northern Kingdom (Amos 2:6-16) and folks begin to fidget, look away, and hope the clock moves faster. Not only does Amos rebuke Israel for her sins, she gets the longest and most scathing rebuke of all. The rest of Amos from 2:6 until 9:10 is devoted to the condemnation of the Northern Kingdom and the coming judgment for her sins.

Amos focuses on several sins he sees in Israel. First, he condemns idolatry. Bethel is mentioned seven times in Amos. What was special about Bethel? That is where Jeroboam had set up one of his two golden calves for the Northern Kingdom to worship (I Kings 12:25-29). Throughout the book Amos condemns Israel’s idolatry (Amos 2:6-8, 3:13-14, 4:4-5, 5:4-5, 21-23, 7:9, 8:13-14). Israel has bent her knee to the gods of this world, not to Yahweh. Her worship is a mockery. It is not according to God’s Word. It is not sincere (Amos 8:5-6). No matter how much pomp and show there is, God hates it (Amos 5:21).

The second sin is greed, which leads to bribes, theft, oppression of the poor, luxurious living, and crooked business practices (Amos 3:10, 15, 4:1, 5:11-12, 6:4-6, 8:5-6, 10).  There is a close connection between idol worship and economic injustice in Amos.

The third sin is that of rejecting God’s Word, in particular the word of the prophet. We see in this in Amos 3:7-8 where Amos defends his ministry. We see it in Amos 7:10-17 where Amaziah the priest, on orders from Jeroboam the king, orders Amos to go prophesy somewhere else. We see it in the promise that God will remove his word because of Israel’s sins (Amos 8:11-12). We read it in the repeated use of the word “hear” (Amos 3:1, 13, 4:1, 5:1, 7:16, 8:4).

 And we see it in Amos 5:10-15. Here is the text:

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 

I find this text interesting because it shows how wicked men are not tolerant. They do not want equal voice for all. Wicked men hate righteous men who rebuke them in the gates. Amos is not mentioned by name, but the implication is clear, especially in light of 7:10-13. Israel does not want his public condemnation of her sins. The prophet is told to quiet down and stop creating such a fuss. Israel doesn’t want or need his speeches on the steps of capital. They don’t like his sermons that mention the sin by name and hints at those who might be engaged in it. They don’t like the letter to the editor from the local pastor or the minister who shows up at a city council meeting. The prudent are silent. They know which way the wind is blowing. Those who strive to be righteous are afflicted. The people don’t want to hear God’s anointed messenger. Amos has got to go. Therefore God will send a famine of his word. Men will wander seeking God’s word, but will not find it (Amos 8:11-12).

Justice is mentioned 4 times in Amos all between 5:7 and 6:12 (5:7, 15, 24, 6:12). In 5:7, 24 and 6:12 it is coupled with righteousness. God expects there to be justice and righteousness in the gates (c.f. Isaiah 5:7). The gate was where public business was conducted (See Genesis 23:10, 18, 34:20, Deut. 21:19, 22:15, 24, 25:7, Ruth 4:1, 10, 11, II Samuel 15:2).  In other words, God expects Israel to obey him in all spheres, including the civic one. Israel is not free to ignore Amos and his preaching. God expects his word to be honored in the courtroom, the business office, the legislative office, and city hall. Amos tells Israel that justice is not a private matter reserved for dinner table and sanctuary. It is not enough to have God’s word in the pulpit and with coffee in the morning. God’s word must take up residence in the public square.

Several points flow from this. I assuming that while the specific application might have changed from Old Testament to New Testament, God still desires righteousness and justice in the gates just as he did in Amos’ day.

  • The link between idolatry and economic injustice is often overlooked. The frequent mention of Bethel in Amos points to Israel’s idol worship as the center of her decay. Therefore our worship must be according the God’s Word.  When our worship becomes encrusted with man-made traditions we are risking judgment. We know this. But what we don’t realize is that a community, church, denomination, or country that worships idols will be a greedy culture that tramples on the poor and cares little about economic justice. Theft, from both private and public sectors will become rampant. People will begin to rob God of the tithe due to him. Like vultures the rich will strip the poor. You can be sure that where idols are worshiped money will be as well. Too many Christians want to fix economics without fixing worship. That is impossible. If we worship God as he ought to be worshiped then our economic problems will begin to heal. Without right worship economic justice is a vapor. 
  • The world expects, indeed demands, that the church is silent about wickedness in the public square. Evil men, whether in the church, government, media, the academy, or Hollywood do not like being called out publicly. Therefore any Christian who speaks to the public sins of our age, such as sodomy, fornication, adultery, abortion, corrupt business practices, politicians who can be bought, denying that Scripture is God’s Word, or female ministers, and rebukes the men and women who commit such sins can expect kickback. They will be told to never again prophesy here (Amos 7:13).
  • A pastor is not identical to an Old Testament prophet, but there are connections between the two. One of the tasks of a minister, just like the Old Testament prophet, is to confront the sins in his church and in society. He is not to be silent in the face of evil and wickedness.  This does not mean every sermon must be fire and brimstone or a political screed. But his head should be up and his eyes open for what is happening out there and in here. If the sins in his congregation or the sins of the culture are never addressed with clarity and calls to repent then what exactly is he doing up there? If no one ever says to him, “Sit down and shut up. We are sick of hearing about our sin” then perhaps he is not doing his job.
  • Despite some clamor that God has no place in politics and ignoring some unhelpful ideas about Christian political engagement, Amos does teach us that God expects holiness in the civic realm. The courts, the laws, the rules about businesses, how money should impact elections, and care for the weak and poor among us are all legitimate concerns for Christians, including Christian ministers. All our questions will not be answered by simply saying we need to seek Biblical justice and righteousness in the city gates. Nor am I saying Christian ministers should develop economic policies. But just admitting that God expects holiness in the civic realm is a good start. Too many Christians, jaded perhaps by past failures or influenced by bad theology, believe that politics, economics, law, and similar subjects are unworthy of our attention. Amos, and indeed all the prophets, tell us this cannot be. Christians must work for justice and righteousness in the gates.
  • Finally, looking at Amos 7:10-13 we can see that sometimes prophetic preaching will also be treasonous. Amos is preaching to Israel not America. America does not stand in the same relationship with God as Israel did. Nonetheless, every country has its idols. Israel’s was a calf at Bethel. America does not set up golden calves, but she does have idols. When Amos preached to the idols in Israel he was accused of conspiring against the king (Amos 7:10). When a pastor attacks the idols in his land he can expect to not just be accused of religious intolerance, but also of conspiring against political powers. He is not just religiously out of touch, but also a traitor. We can see this unfolding already with the issue of sodomy. 
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December 10, 2015

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Judges, Pastoral, Sanctification, Women

Are You Embarrassed?

In Judges 4 Deborah, Barak, and Jael defeat Jabin King of Canaan and his military leader Sisera. Judges 5 is a song celebrating the great victory Israel had over her enemies. Judges 5:1-23 describes the need for deliverance (vs. 6-8) and the rounding up of various tribes to fight (13-23).  So far so good. But then we get to Judges 5:24-31 and God goes off script. First, he says the Jael will be blessed among all the tent dwelling women. Why? She is good with a hammer:

He [Sisera] asked for water and she gave him milk;
she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.
She sent her hand to the tent peg and
her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sisera
she crushed his head
she shattered and pierced his temple.
Between her feet he sank,
he fell,
he lay still
between her feet he sank,
he fell
where he sank,
there he fell—dead.

Judges 5:1-23 is a quick paced narrative describing the gathering of troops and the battle. In 24-27 everything slows down. God wants us to stop, bend over, look inside the tent, and see the details. Jael’s husband, Heber the Kenite, had a peace treaty with Sisera and Jabin (Judges 4:17). Sisera had probably been in Jael’s house many times over the 20 years of oppression (Judges 4:3). But the times of easy money from the Israelites was over. God had raised up a savior. Jabin and Sisera were soundly defeated by Barak and his army (Judges 4:15-16). Sisera fled the battlefield and went to a place of safety: Heber’s house. Jael even invites him in and gives him a blanket (Judges 4:18). He was thirsty and needed water. Jael gives him milk. She gives him milk in a noble’s bowl (maybe to stroke his ego). She reaches out her hand to the tent peg. In the Middle East women set up tents. Jael was no waif super-model nor a Victorian shrinking violet. My guess is she was bulky and strong. She quietly reaches out to pick up a stray tent peg. Then she gets a mallet. Then she strikes, crushes, shatters, pierces his temple. He dies (understatement?). But before he dies he sinks, falls, lays still, sinks between her feet and falls. Sisera’s place of safety became his grave. Jael stands over him in triumph. God wants us to glory in the gruesome death of this general at the hands of a housewife. But do we? Aren’t we a little embarrassed by all of this fuss? Did God really need to tell us twice that Jael killed Sisera with a mallet and a tent peg (Judges 4:21, 5:24-27)? Yes, we know Jael is blessed. But do we really accept our blood spattered heroine as an instrument in God’s hand?

However, the song, given by the Spirit, does not end there. If it did we could perhaps we could handle it. But the song gets worse. It goes on to mock Sisera’s grieving mother.

Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’ Her wisest princesses answer, indeed, she answers herself, ‘Have they not found and divided the spoil?— A womb or two for every man; spoil of dyed materials for Sisera, spoil of dyed materials embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’ 

Sisera’s mother wonders why her son is taking so long to return from the battle. She sits on the balcony watching the horizon for the dust of his chariot (Judges 4:3). “What keeps him?” she asks. We know. He has been nailed to the ground. His head was struck, crushed, shattered, and pierced. He is not coming home. Her maidens answer her concerns with words of encouragement. “Oh, don’t worry,” they say, “His victory has been so great that he needs days to divide the spoil. No doubt right now he is raping (a womb or two) various Israelite women. He is going to bring home riches beyond measure.” But this is false hope and empty words. How long did she wait? When did this mother find out that Sisera was dead? When did she find out that he did not die heroically by an arrow or spear on the battlefield? A woman, an Israelite woman, killed him with tent peg and a mallet. God does not want us to feel sorry for Sisera’s mother. We are not to grieve with her. He wants us to rejoice at her grief. He want us to sing a song mocking her.

The song ends with a cry for all of God’s enemies to perish just like Sisera:

So may all your enemies perish [like Sisera], O LORD! But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might. 

Sisera is not a one time event, a strange anomaly in the history of God’s work. He is a model for all those who attack God’s people and reject God. They will be judged. God’s flaming sword will come down and wreak vengeance on those who do not trust Him (II Thess. 1:7-10). The Holy Spirit want us to pray for the enemies of God to be destroyed like Sisera.

In our age of ease, comfort, and tolerance it is easy to be embarrassed by God’s Word, especially passages like this. We love Psalm 23, John 3:16 and Galatians 3:28, but our effeminate age is not so fond of passages like Exodus 15:3, II Kings 9:30-37, Mark 9:48, Revelation 2:16 and Judges 5:24-31. God is a God of vengeance and bloodshed. He is not all peace, love, hot chocolate, and marshmallows.  We want a soft God. We want a God who will never threaten us or anyone else. We want a God who does not get angry and kill people. We want a God who has been sanitized and sprayed with Lysol and whose instruments are clean, not covered in blood. We want a tame Lion who is safe, easy to talk about, and will not get us in trouble.

But that is not the God of the Bible. That is not the Jesus of the Bible either. The God of Scripture is the one who signed off on drowning millions of people, including women and children (Genesis 7:21-23).  God killed Saul (I Chron. 10:14).  God wanted a queen to be eaten by dogs and she was (I Kings 21:23 and II Kings 9:36). God cursed Israel with a siege and famine for her disobedience (II Kings 25:2-3). God killed a couple for lying about money and church members for corrupting of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 5:10, I Cor. 11:30). God delivers people over to Satan (I Tim. 1:20). Jesus promises to come and kill a modern day Jezebel and her children (Revelation 2:22-23).  God created the lake of burning fire and Jesus will send people there.

God wanted his people to sing this song. He wants us to lift our voices in praise for the tent peg, the hammer, and the grieving mother. Moses loved this God. Joshua served this God. Deborah sang about this God. David delighted in this God. Isaiah saw this God. Paul preached this God. Jesus was the exact representation of this God (Hebrews 1:3). When we get done with Judges 5 what does God want from us? He wants us to worship Him, to glorify His great name, and to love Him more. Do we? Do we love, sing, delight in, and preach the God of Jael, the God who kills men with a tent peg and then writes a song about it?  Do we worship the God of Genesis 7, Judges 5, and Revelation 2? Or are we just embarrassed by Him?