OT Jewish Cycle

 ~ Israel’s Religious Cycle ~

Prolog  ~  The nation of Israel’s history as recorded throughout the Old Testament is a repetitive cycle (especially clear in the book of Judges) — this history is not unlike many Christians today.

Illustrative Scripture  ~  “Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.  Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them.  They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.  And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.  And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them.  They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way” (Judges 2:16-19).

The Cycle  ~  Rest > Rebellion > Retribution > Repentance > Restoration> Rest

Rest – During Joshua’s lifetime and for some years afterward, Israel served God and enjoyed the blessings of their rest land.  This is where the book of Judges begins. 

Rebellion – When a new generation arose, they divorced themselves from God and, in rebellion against Him, took on the ways of the idolatrous Canaanites. 

Retribution – Just as He said He would, God withdrew His protection and power from Israel and delivered they into the hands of foreign oppressors.

Repentance – Then the Israelites repented of their sin and cried to God for help (c.f. Judges 3:9, 10:10 especially clear in the KJV). 

Restoration -  God raised up a judge to deliver His people from their oppressor and to lead them back to a life of fellowship with Him—back to the beginning of the cycle. 

Rest  ~  The cycle starts over~   

Key Lessons  ~  The cycle accentuates two prominent lines of truth: first, the desperate sickness of the human heart, revealing its ingratitude, stubbornness, rebellion, and folly.  Additionally, God’s long-suffering, patience, love, and mercy. 

Examples  ~  Key:  Cycle # – Passage – Oppressors – Judges 

1 – Judges 3:8-11 – Mesopotamians – Othniel

2 – Judges 3:12-31 – Moabites – Ehud, Shamgar

3 – Judges 4:1-5:31 – Canaanites – Deborah with Barak

4 – Judges 6:1-10:5 – Midianites – Gideon, Tola, Jair 

5 – Judges 10:6-12:15 – Ammonites – Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon

6 – Judges 13:1-16:31 – Philistines – Samson

Credit  ~  This post relies heavily on the excellent work done by Irving L. Jensen that is included in his book entitled Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament. 

Epilog  ~  If you enjoyed this post you might find two previous Abundant Life Now posts also interesting: Does History Repeat Itself? (January 25, 2011) and EXTRA: USA Today, 1of4 (September 26, 2016).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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God Our Rock, 13

 ~ I Converse With God My Rock ~

Introduction  ~  In Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49 Jesus relates the importance of building your house upon rock rather than sand.  This principle is even more critical when it comes to our spiritual life.  Each post in this series looks at a different Biblical passage which refers to our God as a Rock (not a complete list). 

Scripture  ~  “To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock: do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.  Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

“Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.  Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve.  Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.

“Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (Psalm 28:1-7). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Spiritual Gifts, 19

 ~ The Spiritual Gift of Administration ~

Opening Comment  ~  “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18). 

Serving Gifts  ~  Within the Service Sector we compared the Spiritual Gift of Serving with non-profit organizations in society.  The Gift of Going / Mercy was likened to Missionaries, while the Gift of Helps is a parallel for food banks and similar organizations.  The Gift of Hospitality was compared to the travel industry, and the Gift of Leadership is a direct parallel to leaders throughout society.  The Gift of Administration is a clear counterpart to managers throughout society.

Gift of Administration  ~  In modern societies many would consider this to be a sub-set of the Gift of Leadership.  “The God-given legislative ability to stand behind people in order to collect data, to set policy, to develop plans which will guide a course of action with skill and wisdom.” –Loren Fischer

Scripture  ~  “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Are all workers of miracles?  Do all have gifts of healings?  Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the best gifts.  And yet I show you a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:27-31).

Traits  ~  The person with the gift of administration will typically; 1) develops careful plans to implement a particular course of action, 2) assume responsibility of supervision to see that the details on a job are running smoothly, and 3) establish guidelines and procedures for the participants in a project to see that the job gets done correctly.

Closing Comments  ~  “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Question – Jesus, 91

 ~ Regarding Ownership ~

Introduction  ~  This series is about questions involving Jesus.  Some were asked by individuals involved with Jesus Christ while He walked on earth.  Others are questions that Jesus Christ asked others.  We will look at questions on about 130 topics (some may split into two or more posts).  Even so, it is far from an exhaustive list. 

Scripture  ~  “Then He [Jesus] spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’  But God said to him, “Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God’” (Luke 12:16-21). 

Quotes  ~  The Beloved Apostle wrote, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

“I'd rather lose in a cause that will ultimately succeed, than succeed in one that will ultimately fail” (Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865).

“There are two things that characterize the teachings of our Lord.  Number one is this: the worth, the infinite, heavenly, eternal worth of the soul.  And the second one: the transitory, temporal, ephemeral, ultimate worthlessness of everything else” (W.A. Criswell).

One of my favorite quotes is, “Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.”

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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