Question #21

First, my response to question #20:
The Bible tells us both that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and that God on occasion has repented of doing some action. There is a way in which absolutism is welcome in the comfort that we gain from be absolutely certain about what God will do. On the other hand, when we violate God's ways, then we are desperate for God to change the consequences. I think that the kind of absolute obedience that Jephthah assumed was required by God in this situation is a human conception that denies the grace of God. That is not to say that everything is relative, but given our previous conversation about the spirit of God (thanks for your comments) I think that we acknowledge the danger and goodness of God realizing that in the end love trumps everything else.

Now for today's question:

Question #21
The second question about the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter has to do with the obvious connection to the sacrifice of God's only child. How do you understand the death of Jesus? We will look at this more closely during Holy Week, but for now focus on whether you think it was necessary out of an understanding of justice (i.e. compare it to Jephthah's "unbreakable vow").

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Question #20

First, my response to question #19:

The responder to this question yesterday makes a good point about the dangerous things that we handle regularly. Fire is a particularly apt example. Humans have by and large "domesticated" fire, but it sometimes gets out of control and causes incredible damage, even taking life. We remember that on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is described as descending on the disciples like tongues of fire. While God is like fire in that both can provide great help to us and can be safe, the major difference is that we cannot control God. My favorite passage in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is when the children first learn from the Beavers that the savior for whom they are longing, Aslan, is a lion. Alarmed, the children ask, "Is he safe?" The Beavers chuckle and respond, "Of course he's not safe, but he's good."

Now for today's question:

Question #20
Jephthah proclaims (and his daughter seems to agree) that a vow to YHWH is unbreakable and so apparently kills his only child in order to honor the vow. There are a number of questions here, the first is whether you believe that the nature of God includes this sort of absolutism?

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Question #19

First, my response to question #18:
In the classic form of the "problem of evil," the dilemma posed is "if God is all-powerful and all-loving, why then hasn't God removed evil from the world?" More simply, "why does God allow suffering?" I don't have a complete answer why, but it is clear that pain, suffering and evil do exist. I'm not convinced that their complete removal would ultimately make us humans that much happier (since it would mean the loss of free will). Still, if forced to choose between believing that God is all-powerful or all-loving (assuming that the existence of suffering proves that God is not both) I will quickly choose all-loving. Since I know that I will experience pain in my life, I know I will need the loving presence of my God. I've never known the love of God to fail.

Now for today's question:

Question #19
Judges 11:29 says that the spirit of YHWH came upon Jephthah and he proceeds to make the rash decision to sacrifice the first thing he sees upon returning home. We will see as we continue to read Judges that "the spirit of YHWH coming upon a person" doesn't necessarily lead to wisdom, sometimes just uncontrollable power. If the power of God can be so dangerous, what does it mean for us to seek God's presence and spirit in our lives?

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Question #18

First, my response to question #17:
Isn't it interesting that Abimelech's pride wouldn't allow him to die in what he considered shame and then in this next story the elders of Gilead have to swallow their pride to seek out Jephthah? Actually, the swallowing of national pride allowing for the admission of mistakes is something in short supply these days. Unfortunately, I am as guilty as the rest of my fellow citizens of seeking the favor of the gods of comfort and greed and materialism, and only after realizing that they won't save me, turning to God for rescue. Sadly, it is a nearly daily struggle.

Now for today's question:

Question #18
There is a beautiful sentiment in Judges 10:16, "God could no longer bear to see Israel suffer." There is a recurring theme in scripture that God is so compassionate that any suffering (even the cries of "the enemy") cannot be ignored. Do you believe that God's heart breaks at your suffering?

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Question #17

First, my response to question #16:
Shame's power in my life has mostly been the ability to silence me when I feared the opinions of others. Issues of honor and shame rightfully seem foolish when looked at objectively. Really, what difference would it have made if Abimelech's death had been by the hand of a woman? Invariably, shame causes us to make foolish choices.

Now for today's question:

Question #17
There is a fascinating parallel between God's response to the people's plea for rescue and Jephthah's response to the elders of Gilead when they ask him to help rescue them. Is there a time in your life when you have had to go "hat in hand" to someone you had previously wronged to ask for their help?

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Jephthah

This week we look at the story of Jephthah in Judges 10-12. If you want to read just the part of the story that will be the focus of next week's sermon, you can read it here

Like Abimelech before him, Jephthah was an empty man. Not only is he a son of a prostitute, but his half-brothers make sure that he will not receive any inheritance by running him out of town. But that is short-lived when they need someone to lead them in battle. Again like Abimelech, Jephthah gathers a band of ruffians, fellow empty men, to do the dirty work.

The central story for which we remember Jephthah is his rash vow to YHWH to sacrifice the first thing he sees upon returning home should YHWH give him victory in battle. He is met by his only daughter dancing and singing to celebrate his victory. While there is a little wiggle room in the Hebrew, it appears that Jephthah, considering his vow to YHWH unbreakable (even more remarkably a position his daughter also seemed to support), commits the unthinkable, human sacrifice of his only child.

The final chapter in the story of Jephthah is again civil unrest with another tribe. In this case, he and his army slay thousands of Ephraimites who can't sneak past them because of their inability to pronounce the word shibboleth.

Question #16

First, my response to question #15:
God got my attention when calling me to serve this church. A certain architectual item featured in both my profile and the church profile. If you don't already know the story, you can read it here.


Now for today's question:

Question #16
The story of Abimelech ends very pathetically with Abimelech worrying about the shame of being killed by a woman. What power does shame hold in your life?

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Question #15

First, my response to question #14:
Ironically, I can't think of a good example of God using irony with me at the moment. cmh's example in the comments was a good one; that happens to me a lot. I do know that very often in my prayers I hear God remind me of things I already know by helping me to remember what I've said. This always brings a smile to my face and sometimes I've laughed out loud during prayer because of it.

One of the common metaphors in scripture about God's irony is the tale of the people who dig a hole to trap another and falls in it themselves. The backfiring of plans with bad intentions is surely an ironic message from God.


Now for today's question:

Question #15
The death of Abimelech can be seen as divine intervention (a stone falling from the heavens) because of his disloyalty to God. Hopefully, it doesn't take a stone hitting you on the head for God to get your attention, but can you name an instance when God used a dramatic event to get your attention?

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Question #14

First, my response to question #13:
Disloyalty is a strong word. The real issue in loyalty questions is what gains your allegiance. Consider Johnny Damon going to the Yankees from the Red Sox. Was he disloyal to the Sox or simply loyal to what mattered more to him: money? We have plenty of opportunity everyday to honor our commitments or not. This is a test of loyalty. Ultimately, the things that we ought to do are part of a commitment (covenant is a better word for it) to God. As Christians, we have a commitment to God to care for others and make the world a better place. Every time we choose a lazy or self-serving way over the twinge of conscience to do otherwise we are being disloyal to God.


Now for today's question:

Question #14
In an ironic twist, Abimelech is killed by a stone after killing his brothers on a stone. Even if it is just a literary device to make the story memorable, it is a recurring theme in scripture that God gets our attention through irony. When has this happened for you?

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Question #13

First, my response to question #12:

Perhaps like many of you, I have found that leaving my family of origin and starting a family of my own has given me lots of opportunity to repeat the mistakes I saw my parents make. Many of the negative behaviors I swore I would never do, I find come very naturally. It's not just an issue of nature vs. nurture, as if some behaviors are "hard-wired" and thus unavoidable. I know that I have to take responsibilty for my behavior as an adult and avoid the pitfalls that I know I'm prone to because of my history.


Now for today's question:

Question #13
Abimelech is first disloyal to his family (killing your brothers is a pretty extreme example), then the leaders of Shechem are disloyal to their agreement with Abimelech. When has disloyalty been a problem in your life?

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Question #12

First, my response to question #11:

I don't know that I've ever really lusted for power. I do relish the limelight and probably enjoy attention more than I should. I know that I'm very disappointed in most of the individuals who seek elected offices since they seem to have insatiable appetites for power and influence. I worry about our nation's leadership and pray that God will deliver us from the bad choices we regularly seem to make.

Now for today's question:

Question #12
Since Abimelech's name means "my father is king" that would imply that that his father (Gideon) named his son in recognition of his position (which we were led to believe he rejected). Where does that line between the burden you inherited from your family and the trouble you brought on yourself exist for you?
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Question #11

First, my response to question #10:

There have been times when I have thought that fear might teach one of my children a lesson. Perhaps that has been appropriate in some instances (for example, I want my children to have a healthy respect for fire and fear what it can do), but at times I may have been angry in the moment and frightened them out of my own need to do so, not their need to learn.

Now for today's question:

Question #11

Abimelech lusted for power and commited murder (of his own brothers no less) to get what he wanted. Surely you've never gone that far to gain power, but when has power seduced you?

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