Thoughts on the readings for June 7th (Judges 2, 3, Isaiah 31, James 1)

The first chapter of Judges starts with a message reminding Israel of their failure to keep the covenant they had made with God. An angel was sent to Bochim (meaning 'weeping') to provoke this penitent response among God's people. Verses 6-10 tell us that whilst Joshua was alive and those who had been faithfully encouraged by him Israel remained faithful to God. Then the balance of the chapter unveils the cycle Israel experienced. Their sin led to suffering, in which they again turned to God and He raised up saviours (judges). The first 3 judges - Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar have the manner of their deliverance outlined in chapter 3. Whilst the trials we experience are different and may be more due to our own foolishness; and the suffering that we experience may not have been brought by God, yet He has allowed it to happen; do we learn from these mistakes to turn back to our gracious God. One thing they all shared was that in their weakness they were strengthened by God for His deliverance. Isaiah 31 continues the theme of denouncing those who would rely on Egypt for help when Judah was confronted by the Assyrian aggressor. Egypt was described in chapter 30:7 in the ESV as "Rahab who sits still". In other words Egypt was a harlot who earned not her hire. Isaiah 31:1-3 talk of the impotence of Egypt. To what end were her horses and chariots? The idols of Egypt were incapable of helping anyone they were merely dumb idols. The Egyptians and their horses were just creatures of flesh and blood who themselves had been created by the Eternal Creator. The Psalmist comments on this failure in Psalm 20:7. The nation should have remembered that when Yahweh delivered Israel from Egypt that "the horse and his chariot has He cast into the sea" (Exodus 14; Psalm 76:6). And Isaiah 31:3 says that the LORD was about to do it again. The Omnipotent Maker of the nation would defend His people like a roaring lion (verse 4). The Almighty will soon like a roaring protect His people at the time of Armageddon - Joel 3:17. In another metaphor their Sovereign is seen as a hovering protective bird - in a Psalm commemorating Hezekiah's deliverance is described in Psalm 124:7 as a bird escaped from a cage. Verses 6-7 is an appeal to the nation to turn to the LORD and be saved. Verses 8-9 speak of Yahweh's vengeance being poured upon the Assyrian oppressor. Once more we must learn to put our trust in the Almighty and in Him alone. In the epistle of James we have, probably, the first of the New Testament writings - written sometime between 42-44 AD. Of the many Jameses in the New Testament the author is most likely the half brother of Jesus Christ. The use of the word "synagogue" tells us that believers had not yet formed ecclesias. The style of teaching in the letter is more like that of our Lord than any of the other letters in the New Testament. There are frequent references to nature and the use of parables is profuse. The early believers were already suffering persecution at the hands of the Jewish leaders. Verse 1 tells us that the letter was for the diaspora (those Jews living outside the Holy Land). Verses 2-18, of chapter 1, outline the purpose of trials (testing) in our life. The expression in verse 4, "perfect and complete, lacking nothing" was used to describe the athlete who had finished first in each of the five disciplines of the pentathlon. The trials that we experience are to develop our trust, our character and our perseverance. No believer will be exempted from testing. If we fail to understand why the test has befallen us, then ask God with Whom wisdom and understanding lays. But let the asking come from a mind that is assured that God knows why, and He knows what He is doing. Both rich and poor will experience the withering winds of trial and in the fact that their Father treats them equally, they ought to rejoice. James echoes the message of Isaiah 40 as to our transient and weak state. He contrasts that with the power of the Word of the Almighty, which is eternal and when it has became the stabilising force in the believer's life it can bring eternal life to that person (compare 1 Peter 1:22-25). From verse 13 to 15 James tells us of the source and site of the conflict (our mind). James explains that the mind of God, unlike our's, is incapable of being prompted by evil thoughts. This is why our Lord Jesus Christ shared in the trials common to humanity - but unlike us was victorious in the realm of his thinking. The process of sin, the writer tells us, is like baiting and luring a fish into a trap. Our Lord, although tempted (as he was man and not God), never succumbed to the temptation. Verses 17-18 tell us that God is a Father who gives only good gifts (see Matthew 7:7-11). God is not subject to being eclipsed, nor to parallax error, as the moon is with respect to our sun. The natural world sometimes appears to look different than it really is. From verses 19-27 we are instructed in "hearing and doing the word". Matthew 7 concluded with the parable of the two builders (Vv24-27). We have learned to talk the talk, but have we learned to walk the walk? James' advice to his hearers is that they need to be swift to hear, but slow to speak. There is an old Jewish proverb that God gave us two ears and one mouth as He wants us to listen twice as much as we talk. James then follows this idea with our need to be calm - ie to be slow to anger (Greek "macrotheumia", literally long before boiling). The writer says that when we look closely at the mirror of the Word of God we see an image of what we are as natural men and women - humans are comfortable with the picture which they see. However we are repulsed by what God's Word shows us to truly be. But, we must delve deeply into its transforming power to produce a metamorphosis (the changing of an ugly grub into a beautiful butterfly) in us (Romans 12:1-2). This process liberates our minds from their normal condition of serving self (sin). Our actions will be blessed and will be a blessing to others. We will learn to practise pure religion in the eyes of our Father. This consists in being internally motivated and an observable change in behaviour. Firstly we must learn to control our tongue (elaborated in chapter 3). The objective of our actions will be to always benefit others and to support the afflicted (here the widows are mentioned). But we also have a personal responsibility to be holy - this involves the rejection of worldly ways and thoughts. Penned by Warwick Rosser and his team, produced by Christadelphianvideo.org See more Thoughts from the Christadelphian Dialy Bible Reading Planner (By R.Roberts) here... https://christadelphianvideo.org/thoughts-on-the-readings-for-june-7th-judges-2-3-isaiah-31-james-1/?feed_id=93301&_unique_id=68429413a277c