Judges 2:10-3:31, Luke 22:14-34, Psalms 92:1-93:5, Proverbs 14:1-2
Today is the 24th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you as we move forward taking another step in the week. I guess we’re at the end of the week now but taking another step forward in the Scriptures. And we’re well on our way but we’ve got a ways to go. That’s the beauty of the rhythm of life together around the Global Campfire, allowing God’s word to speak into our hearts each day. So, we started the book of Judges yesterday we talked about it and it’s kind of this…well…it’s what happens after Joshua’s leadership and after the children of Israel have moved into the Promised Land. So, let’s continue that journey. Judges chapter 2 verse 10 through 3:31 today. And we’re reading for the Amplified Bible this week.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in the book of Judges we met three of Israel’s Judges – Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar and they weren’t all at the same time. So, we…we…we kind of pass through like maybe a century and a half of time in our reading today and we’re already noticing this kind of back and forth. Like the people fall away from God, serve other gods, do their own thing, then oppression falls upon them, the enemy comes down upon them and oppresses them and they crowd to God and God raises somebody up. But what once that person dies then everything kind of goes back, it slides away, they fall away until something else happens and then somebody rises up. But since we’re covering so much time in such a short amount of reading it’s easy enough for us to think like, you know, Ehud was around for a few years, Othniel was around for a few years, Shamgar was around for…they…they like…they were elected officials or something and a lot of time is passing. And, so, if we look under the surface as we’re going to the book of Judges we can see just how and what directions the people are falling away. And as we watch how they are falling away we can also look into our own lives for the same kind of patterns because although we’re passing through centuries and centuries in the book of Judges the circle is kind of the same. Like they keep repeating the same circle and so do we a lot of the time.
Then in our reading from the book of Luke today we have come again to what we know as the Last Supper. And we know it as the Last Supper, because that’s what it was, a last meal, like a last moment with friends where nothings gonna be same again after this. And it’s in this meal Jesus institutes the sacrament of communion or the Eucharist and as Jesus is explaining this and passing the cup, He mentions that there’s a betrayer that’s at the table. And like, we know the story, so we don’t have to unpack all of this but there’s a betrayer at the table. And, so, everybody then at the table, all the disciples start asking who…who…who it could be. And kinda as the as the gospel of Luke reads, once they kinda get done with trying to figure out who it could be then this kind of transitions to a different discussion about who is the greatest of them, right? So, if they’re kinda trying to figure out who’s the lowest of them, then it would…“Stop! Me, I’m the greatest” you know…you can see how the conversation could turn. But then they get on this conversation about who’s the greatest of them. I mean can you imagine being Jesus in this situation if you’re sitting there and you’re explaining that your blood is going to be shed and you’re instituting this remembrance, this thing that should be ongoing among your friends so that you will be remembered for what you’ve done for them. And it’s not that you’re just kind of giving information but you know like tonight, later on tonight you’re going to be arrested and beat up and you’re sitting there at this meal watching those that have followed you the whole way fighting over who is the greatest. I imagine that would be discouraging to say the least and would only add to the isolation Jesus must’ve felt in those moments. Let’s pause here for a second. Like none of us have been around that table…we weren’t at that particular meal, but our culture is continually watching people, even in the faith jockey for position about who can be the biggest, brightest star, who can be the greatest. I mean our culture encourages this. Jesus responded to this. He responded to His friends, but He’s responding to us. Jesus said, “it’s not going to be that way with you. On the contrary, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest and least privileged and the one who is the leader, like the servant. For who is the greater the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” That’s actually a pretty big reality check for us because, yeah, we can embrace the culture, we can embrace the world and work inside the world system which is for us to get as much as we can, and to become as famous or as big or as important or whatever as we can. something to give us an identity of our own or we can understand that Jesus is telling us something very important about His kingdom. And that’s basically if you want to be the greatest in His kingdom, then you must be the greatest servant, like it's…it’s backward and upside down to the way we see things and Jesus is saying greatest in my kingdom is the servant, the one who is like Christ.
Prayer:
Jesus, we invite You into that. We are pulled away from that awareness and that understanding every single day. Our culture does it, but we can’t just blame our culture. We are looking for some kind of identity and we’re trying to craft it and build it based on the criteria of the world and it is so counterintuitive to think if…if I serve well, if I lower myself, if I humble myself then I am actually being lifted up in God’s kingdom. So, Holy Spirit come into this. Help us to become more and more aware of this because what You are offering is a way out of the world, a way out of that other system that is nothing more than a treadmill. No matter how high we rise can’t stay there in that system. Whereas in Your kingdom You’re saying You don’t even have to play that game, it’s not even a real thing, it’s a completely false reality, it doesn’t lead anywhere. Humble Yourself, be a servant, love one another, serve one another. This is the way of Your kingdom. And we can think to ourselves, “well if I try do really do that for very long, I’m just gonna get walked all over.” But the way of Your kingdom is that everyone is on that same page. No one is taking advantage of anyone, there is no lack. So, Father this is how we be in the world but not of it. We have eyes to see these things and ears to hear these things. And, so come and help us become more and more aware of what our hearts posture, what our motivations are leading us into. Are we trying to scratch and eke out an identity in some way, are we trying to just get more and more and more so we can be served, or do we have the freedom to know that we are Your child, everything belongs to You and we are here to be light in the darkness, inviting everyone into the ways of Your kingdom. Come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.
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