Word & the Wild

INTRO

This is Word and the Wild...a one year Bible adventure with friends. My name is Owen. I'm your host and your guide, and together we are on a 12-month journey as a podcast plus community...where we read the Bible for ourselves, but not by ourselves.

We are here in WEEK 15... This week... The wild west chaos of Judges blurs into the background as we zoom in to follow the lives of a string of people who move the plot forward in a major way. Ruth, Hannah, Samuel, David and more are on the horizon this week.

So... hello and welcome we're rolling though this journey together. It's not a recap where we feed you bite-sized bits of the Bible... No this is free0-wheeling walk where we watch the story the Bible unfold like the epic movie it is... So, subscribe here on your favorite podcast platform and share with a friend.

And, a special welcome to our Word and the Wild PLUS community members. Their support of this non-profit endeavor is making space for all of us on this Bible reading adventure. They enjoy access to our private, safe online space where no honest question is a dumb question... along with a weekly livestream Q&A, and bonus content like articles, interactions, meet-ups, and even some livestream teaching gatherings with yours truly.

If any of that sounds like your jam, then check the show notes for how to become a member yourself. Or get all the details over at wordandthewild.com.

So, strap in my friend... let's do the post mortem on the OK Corral that was Judges... and then step forward with a spark of hope in what's ahead this week.

THE PIT THAT WON'T QUIT

Wow. How about those Judges? I feel like we need a breather from the gritty violence of the last week's episode Wild West shoot out. So, I've got a nice, peaceful candle here on desk next to me.

“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” In the Wild West of Judges, that’s the epitaph written on everyone’s “tombstone” — pun fully intended. HAHA

Those are the final words that close out the book of Judges and they are the perfect description of the why behind the drama and trama that is Judges.

God’s people as a whole and almost everyone individual we encountered in Judges this week fits that one line description to a "T." In fact, as pull up to a 30,000 foot view of the plot of Judges, we can see pattern emerge. It formed some might call this pattern a "cycle of misery." I like to call it, "The Pit of Despair" -- and you might get that movie reference.

The Pit of Despair is the whole God's people fall into when they abandon their relationship with God and chose to walk out life in their own way. This selfish choice leaves the Israelites vulnerable. And, the cutthroat people groups that the Israelites did not bother to boot from the promised land? They are more than willing to seize the opportunity to harass and oppress God's people.

Oh, but this is not a depressing thing. It's a hopeful thing. When I think about the story of Judges, I see hope. It's dark down in the bottom of this pit, for sure. But a little light flickers down there. A little candle.

Let's climb down and take a look. If we follow the slide down into The Pit of Despair...the pattern looks something like this:

1. Compromise -- the Israelites follow the Siren song of the surrounding culture and entertain the idea that God's way of life isn't the only way to go. And now, you've got one foot dangling over that pit.
2. Disobedience -- the Israelites walk away from their relationship with God and go their own way. They disobey and down they go.
3. Forgetfulness -- they lose track of their history, identity, and God's track record of love and his promises for their future.
4. Selfishness -- now that the Israelites have forgotten who God is and who they are entirely, "love your neighbor" goes out the window. It's every person for themselves.
5. Cowardice -- "I won't risk what I have to do what I should." They go into hiding. Isolated from God and each other, they have not history. They have no future. There is nothing but the self-preservation of the oppressed and broken "now."

That's rock bottom. But, time and again in the story of the Judges -- these wild west, vigilante, cowboys of the Old Testament -- time and again God comes to the Israelite's rescue. And it all starts with one hopeful spark in the inky black dark of despair.

That spark? That tiny point of light? It's nothing less than the voice of God. Time and again in the darkest hours the book of Judges, God speaks out. A prophet delivers a message. The angel of the Lord appears to Gideon. Or to Sampson's parents. Time and again. The light in the dark.... The pivot point in the story...the moment when their fortunes change and rescue arrives...

It's the moment when God speaks. And then, a leader listens. A deliverer hears God's message and heeds it.

And then, the people start to climb out of the pit. Cowardice becomes a courage. That courage is contagious. Selfishness becomes self-sacrifice. Forgetfulness becomes awareness and memory. Disobedience becomes obedience. And God's people emerge from the pit into the light of day.

It all starts with a God-initiated spark. His voice. His word. In dark times, God works through leaders who listen to his voice.

Later in our story, we will encounter a beautiful, elaborate poem that is all about celebrating the life-giving power of God's voice. It's called Psalm 119. Two lines from this poem summarize the hope and warning of Judges so well.

The writer of this poem simply says to God:

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations.
I have suffered much, O LORD; restore my life again as you promised.”

(Psalm 119:105–107)

In the bottom of the pit, God's voice is how God's people find their way in the dark and back into the relief and restoration of walking in the daylight of a healthy relationship with God.

WHAT'S AHEAD THIS WEEK

“Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Well, not everyone :)

As the episode of the Judges ends, the camera zooms in from a wide angle perspective on the state of God’s people as a whole to a series of close ups. The chaos of the dark times the Israelites find themselves in blurs to the background of some intimate biographies of a faithful few.

Since Mt. Sinai, we have seen that God’s heart has been to take a rag-tag bunch of former slaves and create a healthy, stable, unified people who represent Him, show off the goodness of life with Him, and invite others to join in that life of restored relationships with God and neighbors.

Why? Because God’s story isn’t about the masses. And, it isn’t about mangled mess humankind has made of the world since the Garden of Eden. Those are the facts of the story. But that is not the focus.

The focus is on God’s promise in the shadow of Eden to rescue his beloved creation — and humankind that carries his image most beloved of all.

Remember way back in Genesis 3...as God pronounces a curse on the serpent? There, God promises the serpent that a reckoning is coming. Someday, one of Eve's descendants will crush the serpent's head.

The story of that descendant and the defeat of what drove a wedge between God and his beloved creation... that is the main plot of this wild adventure. God is our main character. His rescue plan and the path he follows to see that plan happen is our the focus.

So, while the drama and trauma of Judges continues to roll on, in our epic movie, the sounds of yelling and fighting fade into a low clatter... and the scenes of scheming and killing and wild-eyed wickedness blur out of focus as God's plans move forward through the simple prayers and actions of a faithful few who hear from God and heed his instructions.

And that's the real story.

So, this week, we see the outcome of the Ruth and Boaz romance. We meet Hannah. A woman devalued by her broken family, despairing due to infertility who pours her heart out to God when few even respect or remember him. And God gives her a son, Samuel, who even as a child hears and heeds God's voice... who obediently anoints an unlikely young David man to be a king...A young man with a sling who God and a foolishly simplistic trust in the heart and power of God. A young man God says will establish an eternal dynasty as a pillar of God's rescue plan for his people... and the world.

God walks his path of rescue through the chaos of human drama. And works is plan through simple people who each make the small choice to hear and heed God's voice.

So... follow the twists and turns... and keep the plot in view. And, who knows? You may have your own encounter with the voice of God this week.

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And that's our launch point this week. It's been a real pleasure to be with you. I'm grateful for the opportunity. If you love it... share it with someone you know... throw a little something in the tip jar... and make sure you've subscribed.

All you Word and the Wild PLUS community members, special thanks to you for your financial support of this non-profit endeavor. You guys are real gems. I'll be seeing you in THE WILD... our private online community space.... this week.

Word and the Wild is a LineHouse Community. It's part of the LineHouse Community Network, a nonprofit organization with a mission to bring neighbors together to promote awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the Bible.

Because friendship and God's Word change lives and change cities.

And... presented by the LumaVoz podcast network.

And with that, we're out. I'm Owen, I'm your host and your guide. Until next time, I'll see you out there on the trail in the Word and the Wild.