The book of Judges

Judges - Background

Judges picks up the story of Israel after the death of Joshua (Jud. 1:1), just as Joshua continues the story after the death of Moses (Josh. 1:1). This is a book of defeat and disgrace; the key verse is (17:6) - "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

it's been sometime since we blog. My reflections is on the book of judges. The book of judges must not be viewed in a chronological order, it must be read, bearing in mind the myraid of activities revolving around a story. Judges as opposed to common understanding, do not fulfill the function of a judge in legislation/administration of justice. Judges, come from the hebrew word 'lead', they were leaders God raised in times of Israel's troubles to deliver them. Some common recurring themes.

Cycle of Sin and God's mercy to deliever His people
1. Israel slipped into sin of idolatry again and again --> cried for help -->God raised a judge---> God delivered Israel --> Israel Sin = This is an evident cycle, usually accompanied by Ïsrael did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Which brings me to my second point. Israel went through this 7 times. God provided 13 judges, of which one is a woman.

The lack of a central body - the church
2. They did evil in God's eyes, but in their eyes, it was right. The last judge, or 13th judge is Samson. God unravel that a nation'problem of sin can also be an individual's problem. Samson was the epitomy of such. He married a Philistine wife because it was right in his eyes. Judges 14:3. Frankly, this is the result of neglecting God's orders to the Israelites, to worship in a central place - the tabernacle. Notice that worship in the tabernacle was neglected/not mentioned in the book of judges. Each Israelite, despite knowing God (Since they know who to call for help) walked in their own ways, according to what is right in their own eyes. Hence the importance of a church.

Beholding the King
3. The book of judges is also a lead in to the books of Kings. Just as i was meditating on the song "Behold the King", which we have been singing, God brought me to the book of judges. Following the lack of a central body, God did provide leaders to lead his people. However, the people need more than leaders, they need a king. A king enthroned in the church, a central place, a centred God. The times in the book of judges are noted as a time “when there was no king in Israel (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).”Have we rejected God as our King?

-I ask myself today if i had lost my King? Have i behold my King?
-Have i been doing things that are right in my own eyes but not in His? I need to repent if so.

a pretty good summary can be found at the link below:

http://biblia.com/jesusbible/judges.htm

No Jesus, no change. Know Jesus, know change...

Forgive Me Lord!!

Forgive Me Lord

Forgive me Lord
For the wrongs I have done.
For anger I shouldn't have
Against anyone.

I know I'm weak Lord,
But I love You, I really do,
And in spite of my weakness,
I know You love me too.

This is the bike rally wesite http://www.ntusportsclub.com/bikerally/home.htm
It is a non competitive cycling event of 128km on the 27th May, sunday. Start/end point is East Coast Park. Angsana Green at CP E2
There will be 6 check points and the cycling pace will not be too fast. There will also be water points and safety vehicles to ensure the safety of the participants. Lunch and bananas will be provided as well. There will be an event briefing 1 week before the actual event to inform participants on what to do and bring.

Goodie bags will also be given to every participant which includes the dry-fit shirt as well. Lucky draw pizes worth up to $8000 will be given away. Prizes include crumpler bags, shirts, jackets and bicycle ect.

Reporting time is 0530hrs. Flag off time will be at 0700hrs
The event should end by 1900hrs

Registration Fees
1. Public $12
2. Students $10

Equipments
1. Bicycle $15
2. Helmet $3

Transport is only provided from NTU, its $2 for a bus ride.
Registration forms can be collected from me or download from the Bike Rally website.

This is NOT a race, instead a test of your endurance in a fun way!

joshua

A Great Dive

Lau, Hailer and i embarked on a dive to Tioman. I must say that it was a great time of bonding where we get to know each other better. Some principles of what that happened...

1. We made ourselves available. --> We made time for each other.

2. We made ourselves vulnerable --> not just about stayin in the same room but about opening up to each other. And i really wanted to show them how much diving is a passion in my life. =)

3. We made it possible. --> Committing to doing an activity together. Spending time communicating. It takes effort. We cannot wait for it to happen. We have to make growing happen.

Eric, Selva, Edward, u guys are missed respectively in ur own countries. =)

Elvis, i look forward to spending a retreat like that with you...

teck

Bread of Life - Look to the One

Are you hungry for God? As I meditate on the passage from John 6: 30-51, God asked me this provoking question. Notwithstanding the providence from God including the miraculous, I am chastened to reflect on my longing for God. Insidious is my coveting of worldly things and repugnant is my pursuit of worldly passions; I tremble at the knowledge that the nature of the old Adamic man still reigns in my heart.

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (v33) I ask myself, " Do I look to the true bread that condescended from heaven to give me eternal life?" Many times, I have failed to. Oh how blind I am to see Him..

What struck me in this passage is Jesus exposing the tough, fibrous roots of fallen life in our hearts by juxtaposing the bread(food) that sustains life on earth with the bread of eternal life - Himself. While there is no question of the importance of food, Jesus leads us to untangle ourselves from the disillusionment of self-life sustenance and draws us to the realities of our soul poverty. The real question is then, "What is our deepest need?"

Jesus demands a moral response. He always, doesn't He? In our pursuit of life, may we look to the Son and believe in Him and His promise is that we shall have eternal life (v40).

God, give me a deeper longing for the Bread of Life, whom You give so freely and lovingly. May You also draw me closer to You, that I may know You, the only true God.

Bread of God - Believe in the One

After Sunday's sermon in Cornerstone Church about the presence of God, I was led to read John 6:25-71. This passage is really rich so I will chew on it bit by bit.

This passage follows the miracle of feeding the Five Thousand with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus was then pursued by the crowd who witnessed the miraculous sign, to Capernaum. From 6:25-29, what struck me was the crowd's motivation of seeking Jesus. As correctly pointed out by Jesus, they are looking for Jesus, "not because they saw miraculous signs, but because they ate the loaves and had their fill" (v26). What it speaks to me is that the unspiritual crowd did not see God beyond the miracle but instead they see only the material prospects of following Jesus; their eyes were fixed on the natural and not the supernatural.

Ever wondered the purpose of miracles? Well miracles can only point to a supernatural being, with powers beyond human comprehension. However, the human mind, dulled by ontological inversion, likes to frame miracles into the categories of "coincidence" or "luck" and deny the omnipotence of God. Whereas in the Bible, we see that miracles have the purpose of making people amazed and awed, thereby opening the eyes of their heart to God.

Well at the same time, miracles are not just acts of God; it requires human endeavour too (v27); without Man, God will not. However, what we must caution ourselves is the complete dismissal of God in the picture.

So my takeaway from this passage is to constantly look out for the hand of God in the miracles that take place, and this calls for belief in the One that God has sent - Jesus Christ (v29).

There can be miracles when we believe. May God work in us the will to believe in His Son to move the mountains, to make possible impossibilities.