Whose story is this anyway?

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today’s passage?

We are looking at Israel in a strange, formative time in which people move quickly through cycles of saying they’ll trust and obey God, then stopping doing this, then finding out that going their own way was unwise and ruinous, then asking God for help and leadership, and God raising up a “judge” to be a sort of mini-Moses, make some wise decisions and then bring people back to the start of the cycle again. It’s a familiar story we’ve seen unfold over long time periods, but right now it keeps happening with dizzying speed.

It turns out that every judge had some special qualities God could use, but also some baggage which might hold them back or make them infamous. So how does Deborah strike you? I find her remarkable, partly because it was so unusual for a woman to be in her position at the time, and also because of how much this account suggests she knew and traded off that. Was it so dishonourable for Barak to know that “the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman”? I love how Deborah’s prophecy was accurate enough to know that, especially as she wasn’t referring to herself, but it does make me wonder where everyone’s heart was in this gory story. The details Deborah adds into her song, including the bits about Sisera’s mum and her ladies in waiting, might suggest a strong desire to make this a human-centred story more than a God-centred one. Is that healthy? Is this a warning?

I love Gideon’s honesty when an angel blesses him, but his reaction also suggests to me that he and others were so focused on how well people were doing, they had no confidence to accept a word from God when it arrived. I love how Gideon engages with God to try and gain confidence enough to believe that God could work through him, and I especially love how God sticks with him through doubts, fears and multiple “fleece” tests. But it’s clear that when he destroyed his father’s altar to Baal, people were only seeing this as a human act rather than a work of God. How could God start to get credit and recognition again?

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God is responsive when his people are suffering and call out to him. He wants to be recognised so that people will keep a knowledge of him, his ways and how to live a life which glorifies him. But he also works with people who will not credit or follow him consistently. He is an ever-loving father and a supplier of saving grace.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Over the last few days, I’ve felt several spiritual prompts to seek and credit God’s influence and leadership more consistently. I want to do this and not take credit for his work!

Who am I going to share this with?

My family and perhaps some work colleagues too, as I’m seeking God’s help and wisdom over some sensitive conversations at a busy time, and couldn’t work well without it!