8 May, 2007 – Handwritten Blog page 2, originally uploaded by sullyflickr.
Monthly Archive for May, 2007
Page 2 of 2
The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. 
this is a big verse for us right now. We have ideas and options and scenarios flying right and left. Sometimes I feel like I should be in a CONSTANT STATE of inquiring of the LORD!
There are a lot of people that say that God gave us minds and wisdom so that we could think and make decisions, but I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I would give up all of my mind and all of my thinking and all of my knowledge if I could always hear what God wanted. I would LOVE to be a robot for HIM, because EVERYTHING He does is right and all His ways are just!
“When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”
(Josh 2:11 NIV)
Rahab heard about what had happened at the Red Sea FORTY YEARS AGO. It wasn’t a far distance for news to travel, only an 11 day journey, but the stories were still going around after 40 years. It was probably a story she heard from her mother or grandmother, unless she was an old lady herself.
The thing she reveals here is one of the totally supremely unique things about the One true God. He is God in heaven above and on the earth below. These people all worshipped some far-away god, one that had to be pleased and was mysterious etc etc. But here come the Hebrews and even foreigners that are miles and miles away have heard that God is WITH them. So many poeple at this time thought that gods were geographical, hence phrases like ‘the gods of the Hittites’ because wherever the Hittites were in their land, that’s where their gods were. But here comes a people whose god was with them in Egypt, a land of Egyptian gods, and with them in the desert, and now as they are coming into this land of foreign gods, their god is coming with them here too! Not only that, but despite their hometown advantage, this Hebrew God is driving out all of the gods of the Hittites, etc.
the best thing about this is that He is the same today. He is in heaven but also down here with us.
The way we are with each other is the truest test of our faith. How I treat a brother or sister from day to day, how I react to the sin-scarred wino on the street, how I respond to interruptions from people I dislike, how I deal with normal people in their normal confusion on a normal day may be a better indication of my reverence for life than the anti-abortion sticker on the bumper of my car.
–Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
He who is alone with his sins is utterly alone. it may be that Christians, not withstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final breakthrough to fellowship does not occur because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everyone must conceal his sin from himself and from their fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. That fact is that we are sinners!
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” 
{Ok, that part sounds good…}
The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” Then the officers shall add, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too.””
(Deut 20:2-8 NIV)
So the army is going into battle, and the high priest comes and tells them don’t be afraid or weak, because God is fighting for you! So everyone would have confidence, right?
But then the officers are supposed to add a few other options.
If you have built a new house, you better go back home, because not being afraid and having a great victory and having God fight for us does not mean some of us are not going to die.
If you haven’t enjoyed your new vineyard, go back home, because God is fighting for us and will give us victory, and some of us may die.
If you haven’t delighted yourself in your soon-to-be wife of your youth, go back home and do that, because God is fighting against our enemies and will give us victory, and some of us may die.
that is SO UPSIDE DOWN from what our human understanding would think! 
But doesn’t this keep with everything else we see about God? What He calls victory is so much more complicated and richer than what we would call victory. And He doesn’t want anybody fighting that doesn’t want to. Nobody is getting forced to go to war. And they don’t have to go before a conscientious objector panel to prove that he should not go to war. Can you imagine that happening during Vietnam?
I know there is a war, your honor, but I just planted a grapevine, and I have to wait for its grapes. After I harvest my grapes and make wine and let it age and then drink some, then I’ll come fight.
Even in a war God didn’t FORCE His people, and I don’t see any curse or bitterness from God towards the cowards or new vine-planters either!
Be FREE!
