Deuteronomy: Judges and Kings

Deuteronomy 15:1-9,16:19-20,17:14-20

This book is a book of transitions. Our church is also in transition: considering senior pastors, particularizition, etc. While these passages speak of leaders of those times, this is still applicable for leadership. This is God's consideration for leaders.

What do leaders do

For the Israelites, we hear of the jobs of judges and kings. Judges handle disputes between parties. But there's a fair amount of overlap. Kings were seen as military leaders. There was a hierarchy to these leaders. 

What qualifies a leader

Leaders need to be experienced and are to be impartial. They need to see both rich and poor equally. They are not to take bribes. But not just that, they need to pursue justice only. Not fame, not power, nothing else should distract. Not wives, not horses... In other words, not political power, not military power.

These are not qualities God desires: It is not charisma, not ministry success, not giftings, and not worldly qualifications. God desires character. But this isn't just a way to beat up our leaders. Do we value character over charisma? Do we want someone to lead with love, care, and a heart after God? 

How to become qualified

You must understand and be captivated by the love of God for us. Such a Sunday school answer, right? But how does someone ignore the power of the powerful, the riches of the rich? It is by knowing that God is the most powerful, richest and He approves of us. We don't need the influence of the world's riches or power. In a hundred years, we'll all be dead. We'll be with Jesus. And the place where we will be will have streets paved with gold. How can someone with an inheritance bigger than Elon Musk be bribed? They cannot.

Addison Frank

Generosity from God's generosity

[1] “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. [2] And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed. [3] Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. [4] But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— [5] if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. [6] For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you. [7] “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, [8] but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. [9] Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. [10] You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. [11] For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ [12] “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. [13] And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. [14] You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. [15] You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. [16] But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, [17] then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same. [18] It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

Deuteronomy 15:1-18 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.15.1-18.ESV

Being generous

We have modern banking in the control of the elite. They lend us money to buy houses and cars.

 But in the ancient Middle East, it was different. There was a more democratic system. People could set interest rates and lend to whomever they wanted. Everyone in Israel had land that was parceled out to each tribe. This was given out and done to the rememberable of God giving these things to Israel. God didn't just bless the elite; it was for all those in Israel. It wasn't for just a subset. Everyone was expected to be generous because everyone was given to generously by God. 

Why generosity

For is the explanation or cause of something. There are four for clauses. 

God says there should be no poor in the nation of Israel. But things happen, disaster, poor financial planning, and other issues. So those who had excess had enough to meet those who were lacking or in need. There was enough for everyone in the nation of Israel. 

God said that he would bless Israel so that it would bless other nations. God's generosity to Israel was the way for them to be a blessing to the nations. It was how God enabled Israel to fulfill the promise. 

Slavery or servanthood was different from chattel slavery. Those who choose to stay forever with their masters would join the masters family with the inherent protections. They were not commodities or resources to be used as simple tools. Every seven years, these people were to be given their freedom regardless of how much debt had been paid. And not simply sent away, but sent away with goods from the master's house. 

What is generosity

When Jesus came, he forgave sins and also fed the poor. It was holistic. We are to be generous with our resources to give them a taste of the kingdom of God. We are to pray with them, have a conversation, and meet their physical needs. 

Rev. Hansoo Jin

The Holy Spirit

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 16:5‭-‬15 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The personhood of the Holy Spirit 

We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But he is not a substance like a liquid, he is a person. There is one God and three people, the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit. Eternal and there at the beginning at creation. God is not in three different forms. It is three people, yet one God.

The presence of the Holy Spirit 

Jesus says he's leaving the disciples and they are saddened. But Jesus says it is better that way because then the Holy Spirit will come to them. Jesus was a localized singular person, but the Holy Spirit is available 24/7. He is with us at all times and we become the temple of God as a result. The indwelling of the Spirit reassures is that God is working in us. The Spirit works in us to manifest Jesus more and more in our lives. We, in ourselves, cannot do it. But while we are never going to perfectly live as Jesus in this life, we will become more like Him more and more.

The purpose of the Holy Spirit 

First, the Spirit convicts us of sin and judgement. If we do not believe in Jesus, then we will choose for ourselves what is right, what is wrong. We will find another basis to judge our morals. And whatever it is, it will make us see the claims of Jesus as silly, outdated, and/or foolish.

The Holy Spirit brings focus on Jesus. He will illuminate Jesus and bring glory to God. How do we know it is the Holy Spirit and not some other spirit? He will bring out a greater love for Jesus, a greater humility, and a greater desire for Jesus in our lives.

The faith of Habakkuk

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels. He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters. I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. - Habakkuk 3:1‭-‬16 ESV

Justin Kim

This was during the time of decline for the kingdom of Israel and Judah. Israel has already been overtaken by enemy nations and Judah was in it's last days as a kingdom. This prophetic book is small and instead of God speaking, this is a book of the prophet speaking to God. 

Habakkuk prays over the sin of Judah. He asks God why it seems that there is no justice. God speaks of the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, growing into a nation that will be used to punish the nation's sins. God will use an even more sinful people to punish His own nation. And then after that, even the Babylonians will have their sins punished. Habakkuk trusts that God will bring about justice, even as nations rise and fall.

Habakkuk's faith is not dependent upon the outcome of the prayer. It isn't focused on the desire of his heart, but rather it is focused entirely upon God. Habakkuk's faith is first on God. Even as God brings suffering to the nation of Judah when the prophet is praying for, this faith will not be shaken. There will still be peace in Habakkuk's heart even in the midst of exile, famine, and war

Hannah’s Prayers of Pleading and Praise

On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?” After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

1 Samuel 1:4‭-‬11 2:2‭-‬10 ESV

Rev. Ryan Egli

"We tend to stay away from mourning and dancing. Too afraid to cry, too shy to dance...we become narrow-minded complainers, avoiding pain and also true human joy...While we live in a world subject to the evil one, we belong to God. Let us mourn, and let us dance." - Henri Nouwen

Hannah is a wife of Elkanah. She is one of two wives. The other wife is fertile and gives children but Hannah is barren. She cannot have children. She experienced shame and economic peril. Women who could not have children would not have people to care for her in her old age. Men could divorce their wives for this. It was often seen as a curse from God in those days. Hannah's suffering is not a single occurrence. It is long lasting and years in duration. Not only that, but the second wife mocks her. Her husband tries to address Hannah's suffering, but instead of comforting he makes it about himself. It is a poor attempt and Hannah seems to ignore it and goes to God. She prays persistently.

She goes home and God remembers her. She conceives a son. This is not random. But now that the long, longed for child is here, what will Hannah do? She had promised the child to God. This is where the rubber meets the road. Hannah is faithful to her promise in prayer. She tells her husband of the child's place in the temple. She brings the child to the temple as she has promised. She remembers her vow and fulfills it. 

She has a second prayer. Not only that, but she prophesies about the anointing of a coming king. She celebrates about a coming kingdom. Some see this as being about David and others see it referencing Jesus. Israel has had no kings up to this point. In fact, Samuel, her son would anoint both Saul and David. In Jesus, we can find our sufferings turned into rejoicing.

A Community of Holiness & Grace

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? - James 4:1‭-‬12 ESV

Rev. Ryan Egli

Adulterous slanderous people are in need of God grace

Nature of adulterous people

James confronts people. These are not the enemies of James. They are loved and are a concern for James. He calls them adulterous. There's infighting in these new churches. Why? Because they are under the control of their passions and desires, not only that, but they had the wrong desires. James is confronting friends. Their bitter envy, rivalry, gossip, and back biting is adulterous. They point to other loves in our lives that are not God.

A gracious God

How does God react to an adulterous people? When they come to Him, he gives grace. God calls us to himself to give ourselves, submit ourselves to God. He calls his people to lament their sins and repent. Then he empowers us and forgives us.

Stop judging each other

Those who have received grace from God are called to not stand in judgement over others. We are commanded instead to love our neighbors. We cannot stand over people in judgement at the same time we are loving them. We can't do both. This is different from the orderly judgement of church leaders to treat unrepentant sinners. We are called to stop malicious and vengeful judgement.

A Community Centered on the Word

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. - James 1:19‭-‬27 ESV

Justin Kim

Be doers

When we hear the word of God, do we put it into action in our lives. Or do we hear it and just ignore it from Monday to Saturday. Let us live it out with our fellow brothers and sisters. This isn't a call to pray at the end of every meeting with fellow believers or to always preach to one another. But the relationship between believers should look different from our relationships with other groups outside the church.

A Community of believers

Are there believers that are close enough to speak the word into our lives? Do we let people into our lives close enough to do this? Can we take small concrete steps this week towards one believer in our lives in this way? Do we have someone who we feel safe enough to open up in these ways? If not, can we cultivate those relationships with fellow believers in the church? If so, can we invite one person to speak to the sin in our lives? 

Christ-likeness

The church is supposed to reflect Jesus to the world. To do the word means to be like Jesus Christ. It is not just a group of people who like one another, have similar perspectives, social economic status. The church is a fellowship of believers living out the word together.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. - Ephesians 4:11‭-‬16 ESV