What good is power from God without wisdom, love and peace?

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?

First, ouch. That horrible feeling of recognising my own mess ups in other people’s mess ups, specifically the way Israel swapped out God for other things until they were in real trouble. Not that I’ve ever bowed down to gold idols, but I recognise how other things which seem to have power (recognised status, money, comfort supplies, etc) can get between me and God. But I love how God renewed commitment to Israel when they “got rid of the foreign gods.”

Second, ouch. As mighty as Jephthah was as a warrior, and as much as the Spirit filled him with the strength to win battles, how painful is it to watch someone with masses of power but not quite enough wisdom? Especially if we can also relate to how a reckless mouth or an over-eager promise can ruin an otherwise great situation, and that’s putting it far too mildly from the point of view of Jephthah’s family. What a horrible warning.

Third, all kinds of ouch. What on earth is the problem with the Ephraimites? Loving fighting so much that if they don’t get invited, they’ll start their own? Or just pride? Or were they so focused on their own roles and recognition that they refused to glorify God after his victory helped them? Killing 42,000 of them in response to an insult doesn’t make Jephthah look entirely God-centred either.

Overall, I’m forming a picture of Israel at this point in their history which also looks uncomfortably like countries we know today, perhaps even ours. God’s name might be on the money, celebrated in the calendar and quoted in the laws, but none of that is enough to make God central in anyone’s heart. There is huge scope to know God but miss his way.

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

God never abandons his people. He keeps his promises and, as a result, seems to keep his distance when people are determined to prioritise other things, other gods or themselves. But he does hear and respond when people call on him. His Spirit can be massively empowering, and God can use a wide variety of imperfect people like us to get his work done. But the things that God wants to grow in us, like wisdom, love and other spiritual fruit, take time to develop. He needs to remain in our hearts for a while for us to notice the difference he makes in our lives.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

I’m in a busy time when it can seem quick and tempting to deal with people badly, either rudely to dismiss something I think is wrong, or pridefully to exert my own authority or please people with an unwise promise. I recognise my need for more wisdom, love and peace, sourced from God’s work in me rather than my own research and effort. So I’ve put work aside to write this, but I’ll also need to take more times out with God this month!

Who am I going to share this with?

My family and hopefully, when there’s a good story to share from the results, some clients!