A Double Breakthrough

December 13, 2020

Ruth 4:11-12 11 All the people at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel. May you achieve wealth and power in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. 12 Further, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

Many of us are familiar with the redemptive narrative of Ruth and Boaz. We are familiar with the main characters, Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. We are struck by Ruth's loyalty toward her mother-in-law when she chooses to remain with Naomi even after her husband's death, and she vehemently declares "for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried." We are moved by the compassion displayed by Boaz as he discreetly arranges for Ruth's protection and "extra portion" as she gleans from his field and provides for herself and her mother-in-law. We are impressed with the boldness of both women as a potentially scandalous plan is conceived in which Ruth makes her desires known to Boaz on the threshing floor in the middle of the night during harvest season. And, thank goodness, we see the swiftness in the actions of Boaz to settle the matter legally at the city gates. His heart of restoration and redemption is plain to all. Many of us are familiar with the sequence of events. What may have escaped our attention is the prophetic declaration made by the elders at the city gate. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel. Further, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

Bless her like Leah who was the mother of Judah; and also blessings like Perez, Judah's son. Okay, continue on with the family blessing Sounds like the thing to do. Well, let's look again at these people. Remember Leah? The "weak eyed" Leah? Leah, the older sister who was deceptively given to Jacob on his wedding night after toiling for the younger sister, Rachel, for 7 years? Scripture reveals to us the jealousy, loneliness, and hatred that marks this love triangle. Can you even imagine the hostility that would have been present in this family's tent? Why would the elders declare a "blessing" like Rachel and Leah over Ruth? Seems less than ideal, doesn't it? Rachel was deeply loved by Jacob. Leah was not. However, through her pain of rejection, Leah learned to turn to the Lord and named her fourth son Judah which means "praise" as she proclaimed, “This time I will give thanks to the Lord”; therefore she named him Judah. (Genesis 29:35). God worked through the suffering of this family, and between the two women, most of the twelve sons which were the Twelve Tribes of Israel, were borne. The Lord birthed a nation through all that deception, rejection, and brokenness. The elders at the city gate knew better than to look at circumstances and make judgements. They knew their God, Yahweh, was mightier than any dysfunction they could imagine. They knew their God could birth territory, authority, and eternity out of the most painful of circumstances. They were living proof.

These same elders would have also known of the prophetic blessing Jacob had declared over his son, Judah, " You, Judah, your brothers will praise you:

Your fingers on your enemies’ throat,

while your brothers honor you.

You’re a lion’s cub, Judah,

home fresh from the kill, my son.

Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts;

who dares mess with him?

The scepter shall not leave Judah;

he’ll keep a firm grip on the command staff

Until the ultimate ruler comes

and the nations obey him." (Genesis 49)

Makes sense that Ruth and Boaz would have been blessed in this way, right? Further, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.” It had been said of Judah that authority would never leave him and the ultimate ruler would come from him. Great blessing, right? So Judah begot Perez who begot so and so who begot so and so, and on it goes, right? HOLD UP. Do you remember the circumstances of the birth of Perez? Tamar was actually Judah's daughter-in-law...twice over. Judah's first son had been married to Tamar and been put to death for his wickedness. No offspring resulted. Following tradition, the second son, Onan, married Tamar. However, we are told in Genesis 38, Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother. "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight and Onan was also put to death. We see more jealousy, deception, and no offspring. Judah then tells Tamar that she can wait for his youngest son to come of age and have him as her husband. Years pass and Judah does not keep his word to Tamar about his youngest son. She is stuck with a dead promise made by Judah, no husband to care for her, and no child to carry on the family. However, the story gets more complicated and definitely more unseemly. Genesis 38 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, `There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here. '"Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her. "About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.

Need a minute? Feel a bit speechless after all that? Feel some judgement coming to the forefront of your thoughts? Sounds like material for a new outrageous NetFlix series, doesn't it? And yet, Ruth and Boaz were told, Further, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.” Is that the legacy you would desire for your children? We would probably have chosen a blessing with a little less drama and something a little less offensive. What did these elders know? They knew the word of their Lord was true. They knew He works in ways that are higher than our ways. They knew His promises never fail. They also knew that Judah means "praise" and Perez means to "break through or burst forth."

God has a plan. He has always had a plan. Dealing with some rejection? Leah did. Been betrayed by your own family like Rachel? Living with some broken promises and seemingly no results of your efforts like Tamar? It can look very bleak when we look around us in our world today with all the hatred, offense, and darkness blatantly on display. We can feel overcome and perhaps even hopeless when we view our circumstances. I feel certain Naomi, Ruth, Leah, Rachel, and Tamar all felt defeated at times. Yet, they kept on keeping on. Sometimes, that may be all we are capable of doing. It's okay to do that for a bit. But, I want to encourage you that God WILL birth praise out of the solitude and feelings of second best just as he did for Leah. He'll do it through you as He did through Leah. Let's be like her and declare, "This time (no matter how many times before it's been) I will give thanks." He WILL break through the delay, seeming abandonment, and shattered dreams as He did for Tamar. Your current circumstances are held in the hands of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Covenant. Look what He birthed out of all these flawed situations; Ruth 4:18-22 Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David [the king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus Christ]. The flawed nature of these people and the circumstances of their dysfunctional relationships did not hinder the Lord's plans nor breakthrough in their lives. Neither will yours.

What's the Score?

December 2, 2020

Psalm 46 1 God is our Refuge and Strength , a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas,

3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah!

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning].

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge. Selah !

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations and wonders in the earth.

9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire.

10 Let be and be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge. Selah !

Has your world changed recently? Felt some shaking around you? Heard some roaring and maybe even done some trembling? Walking, or maybe limping, through some troubles? Yeah, I think we can all relate to this Psalm; this song of praise reminding us who He is. He is our refuge and our strength. In THIS very moment He is our help. HE, HIMSELF, is our safe place no matter what is happening around us. Maybe our heads know this, but how about our hearts? Are we living fearLESS; without fear? Look at the results of God-His presence, His voice. The earth melted when he spoke. Would you like some things in your life to melt away? He makes wars to cease. He tears down. Bows, spears, chariots; every weapon of warfare is rendered useless by Him.

This psalm was written likely after a victory won by David and the Israelites. Maybe you read this psalm and don't doubt the experience that led to its composition, but maybe you aren't coming off of a victory right now. Maybe you are in the midst of the battle of your life and victory seems to evade you. Perhaps victory seems to have passed you by and defeat seems to have found a comfortable place to settle in right in the middle of your everything.

What do we do when this is our seeming reality? Well, let's check our position. Absolutely, we are in a battle. However, the stance from which we battle is key. Playing defense is tough work and can lead to weariness, especially if it is played too long. The defense is " the team attempting to thwart the attack of the team having the ball or puck." The defense doesn't have the ball and, consequently, doesn't score any points. All that work ATTEMPTING to thwart the attack of the team that actually has the authority to score. Is that the position for which Jesus gave His life? Of course not!!

The blood of Jesus positions us on the side of the offense. We get to score. We have everything we need for an assured victory. We can speak what He speaks. He is our refuge. He is a well-proved help in trouble. He is with us. You may need to change your position. Rise up! Speak like you belong to Him. Take your authority in Christ, change your atmosphere, and live like you belong on the winning team. Jesus gave His blood so that you could be victorious with Him.

1 John 5:4 because everyone who is born from God defeats the world. And this is the victory that has defeated the world: our faith.

While perhaps changing your position from one of defense to offense, it is also important to understand how you possibly ended up on the wrong side, without the ball, and with no way to score. What about offense? A spirit of offense. These two words, offense and offense, look alike but they sound very different and have different meanings. The spirit of offense is running rampant in our world today. Everyone seems offended and demanding to be recompensed in some way for the offenses. When we are consumed with being offended and looking for someone to "pay" for that offense, this puts us in the position of defense and unable to live a life of victory. Do you want to be on the side of offense or offense? Only one choice gives you the authority to score. Make a wise choice for you and yours. God is with you and has secured your victory in Christ Jesus.

Unfinished Business

November 27, 2020

Joshua 11:1-5 King Jabin of Hazor heard about this. So he sent word to Madon’s King Jobab, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph.2 He sent word to the kings from the north part of the highlands, in the desert plain south of Chinneroth, in the lowlands, and in Naphoth-dor on the west.3 He sent word to the Canaanites from east and west, to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the highlands, and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.4 They went out with all their battalions as a great army. They were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. There were very many horses and chariots.5 All these kings came together. They came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

Joshua 11 begins in the middle. The middle of what? What was the "this" King Jabin had heard about? King Jabin had heard, likely, of Joshua, the leader of the Israelite army. However, what he had surely heard about was how the Israelite God fought for his people against all odds. At this time, Joshua was in the middle of a string of victories against the inhabitants of the Israelite Promised Land. King Jabin would have heard of the complete wiping out of Ai. He would have heard how the Israelites' God had rained down hailstones at Gibeon so much so that more died from the hailstones than the swords of the Israelites. And he would certainly have heard of how Joshua had ordered the sun and the moon to fight for his people as well. (Joshua 10) “Sun, stand still at Gibeon! and Moon, at the Aijalon Valley!” 13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless until a nation took revenge on its enemies.

Isn’t this written in the Jashar scroll? So the sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky. For a whole day, it was in no hurry to go down. 14 There hasn’t been a day like it before or since, when the Lord responded to a human voice. The Lord fought for Israel.

Who was this Joshua who could move his God in such a way? Who was this God who could bring down hailstones and change the boundaries of day and night? King Jabin had likely encountered many enemies and fought many battles, but he had never encountered the likes of these people and the God they served. For good reason, he contacted his allies and they went out with their innumerable armies against the Jewish nation.

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a string of victories? Maybe all seems well in the camp. The bills are paid, the car is running, the kids are making good grades, the marriage is seemingly good; maybe there is even a well planned vacation on the horizon. Life is good. Maybe you wouldn't necessarily call your circumstances victorious, but maybe they could be called tolerable. That situation for which you've been praying has at least improved. Things are somewhat better than they were. Victorious and tolerable are easy places to set up camp. They can be quite comfortable or at least doable. The problem with both of these is they can easily seduce us into living in compromise.

Look at Joshua. How easy it would have been for him to persuade the Israelites to stay in the place of partial victory where they were encamped. They had gained much territory. What pushed him onward?

Joshua 11:6-15 6 The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow, I will make them all dead bodies in Israel’s presence. Cripple their horses! Burn their chariots!”

7 Then Joshua along with the entire army launched a surprise attack against them at the waters of Merom. 8 The Lord gave them into Israel’s power. They struck them down. They chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, then to the east as far as the Mizpeh Valley. They struck them down until no survivors were left. 9 Joshua dealt with them exactly as the Lord had told him. He crippled their horses and burned their chariots.

10 Joshua turned back at that time. He captured Hazor and struck down its king with the sword. Hazor had been the head of all those kingdoms in the past. 11 They struck down everyone there without mercy, wiping them out as something reserved for God. Nothing that breathed was left. Hazor itself he burned. 12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities. He struck them down without mercy. He wiped them out as something reserved for God. This was exactly as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded. 13 But Israel didn’t burn any of the cities that still are standing on their mounds. Joshua burned only Hazor. 14 The Israelites took all the valuable things from those cities and the cattle as plunder for themselves. But they struck down every person without mercy until they had wiped them out. They didn’t let anything that breathed survive. 15 What the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, Moses had commanded Joshua, and Joshua did exactly that. He didn’t deviate a bit from any command that the Lord had given Moses.

Did you catch it? First, the Lord said to not be afraid. How many times has our Lord encouraged us to fear not? Let us not forget that if He be for us, who can be against us! He has not given us a spirit of fear. Then the Lord told Joshua exactly what to do, but then "Joshua dealt with them exactly as the Lord had told him." Are we dealing with our enemies as He has instructed, or are we possibly bowing to tolerable or living obliviously in victory? Are we walking the line of compromise? I have done all three of these in my life. SPOILER ALERT: It doesn't turn out well. What the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, Moses had commanded Joshua, and Joshua did exactly that. He didn’t deviate a bit from any command that the Lord had given Moses. These weren't new instructions from Almighty God. He had always planned for His people to conquer ALL. It didn't happen under Moses, but that didn't negate the instructions. Does your past seem far from victorious? Thank the Lord, it doesn't have to dictate your future.

Joshua 11:16-22 16 So Joshua took this whole land: the highlands, the whole arid southern plain, the whole land of Goshen, the lowlands, the desert plain, and both the highlands and the lowlands of Israel. 17 He took land stretching from Mount Halak, which goes up toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Lebanon Valley. He captured all their kings. He struck them down and killed them. 18 Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. 19 There wasn’t one city that made peace with the Israelites, except the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. They captured every single one in battle. 20 Their stubborn resistance came from the Lord and led them to wage war against Israel. Israel was then able to wipe them out as something reserved for God, without showing them any mercy. This was exactly what the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 At that time, Joshua went and wiped out the Anakim from the highlands. He wiped them out from Hebron, from Debir, and from Anab, from the whole highlands of Judah, and the whole highlands of Israel. Joshua wiped them out along with their cities as something reserved for God. 22 The Anakim no longer remained in the land of the Israelites. They survived only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, exactly as the Lord had promised Moses. Joshua gave it as a legacy to Israel according to their tribal shares. Then the land had a rest from war.

The Lord didn't direct His people to settle for "better." He directed Joshua to war for the territory. Only the Hivites made peace with the Israelites; every other place had to be captured in battle. You don't capture that which you don't pursue. 20 Their stubborn resistance came from the Lord and led them to wage war against Israel. Israel was then able to wipe them out as something reserved for God Realize, precious child of the Living God, that He hardens situations and people around you. Joshua saw this now as the leader of the Israelites just as he had seen in Egypt many years earlier when God had hardened Pharaoh's heart. Without this hardening, God's people will live quite contentedly in the land of Tolerable and Compromise. That hard place you're in? That hard person in your life? It is a victory reserved for God. It is not meant to reign over you. However, the victory will not come knocking at your door. You will have to battle, but, FEAR NOT, and remember He has trained our hands for war and our fingers for battle.

So Joshua took the whole land, exactly as the Lord had promised Moses. Joshua gave it as a legacy to Israel according to their tribal shares. Then the land had a rest from war.

What unfinished business does the Lord want to accomplish in your life? It could be "left over" from the previous generation as was the case in Joshua 11. It could be a prayer you have stopped believing for because you've landed in Tolerable or Compromise. Dear One, don't settle. Take the whole land exactly as the Lord has promised. It's not just about you. It's your legacy to pass on.