Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and said, “The man who allows any of those whom I give into your hands to escape shall forfeit his life.” ²⁵So as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the officers, “Go in and strike them down; let not a man escape.” So when they put them to the sword, the guard and the officers cast them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal, ²⁶and they brought out the pillar that was in the house of Baal and burned it. ²⁷And they demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day. — 2 Kings 10

As I read the text about Jehu destroying the followers of Baal, I am deeply struck by the powerful message contained in the story. Regardless of what Jehu did before or after this incident, I am impressed with him in this moment. I read the passage and I hear the lyrics of Yearn, a song written and sung by Shane and Shane. Specifically, I am hearkened back to the stanzas that state:

Lord i want to yearn for You
i want to burn with passion
over You and only You
Lord i want to yearn

Your joy is mine
yet why am i fine
with all my singing and bringing grain
in light of Him

Jehu was caught up in a zealous moment for his Lord. His actions were merely a response to the extreme passion he discovered for YAHWEH. You and only You. This is what Jehu is saying. Not Baal. Not the golden calf. Not the false prohets. You and only You.

While I’m not prescribing Jehu’s actions as an accepted means of demonstrating one’s love and fervor for God, I am acknowledging the tremendous amount of passion and courage it took Jehu to possess in order to carry out such a significant act.

Through the utilization of a different means, may we be called to possess a similar, fervent love of God.

1 Samuel 17:45-47

The story of David fearlessly responding to the insults hurled upon him by Goliath is particularly interesting for one particular reason: clarity. David demonstrates an abundant amount of trust in his purpose in that place and at that time. To complicate matters, it just happens to be a story about war. Clarity and war, for postmodern folks, are two ambiguous conversation pieces.

Clarity in this story, however, manifests itself in two ways: the side which God is on; and, clearly defined results (one winner and one loser). Regardless of your views on war, this story, along with many others in 1 Samuel are appealing because they are neatly wrapped up in a bow that says God is on this side, and this side/that side is the clear winner/loser.

There are no honorable defeats. No adverse ramifications of winning the war (economics; post-war effects on the warriors; unjust causes; etc.). There is never even a hesitation about whether war is necessary. It happens. Over. And over. And over again.

David, however, knows exactly what he’s fighting for. He states this clearly in the aforementioned verses. David finds clarity in his purpose and acts accordingly.

Admittedly, clarity, especially in relation to war in this global world we live in, is hard to find today. There are no neatly defined lines in the sand. What is considered just by one is determined unjust by another. In the instance that war does occur, there are rarely outright winners. Those deemed to have ‘won’ suffer as many consequences as those that ‘lost.’ Not to mention, God is claimed to have been on both sides leading up to and following the conclusion of the battle.

Perhaps the loss of clarity is directly proportionate to our misunderstanding of God. Perhaps our lack of clarity is due to the pluralistic society we live in.

This nicely structured story makes clarity look easy. It seems too easy.

Is this the postmodernist in me? Or, is it the New Testament in me?

The first stanza of Amazing Grace:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

The stories from the Book of Judges echo this understanding of one’s self and community. There is something inherently wretched within us all. Put a lot of wretched people together that God, for some reason, dearly loves and the story of Judges unfolds.

There is something both alarming and comforting about these stories. It just so happens that what I find to be alarming is comforting; what I find to be comforting is alarming. The comforting and alarming part of these stories is that the Israelites (or, insert my name, your name, etc.) consistently fall into the trap of sin. They fall into the trap almost immediately after God intervenes and gives them victory over their enemies.

In each story, though, through the ‘forgetting of God’ and the worship of other gods, He responds to their cries for mercy. He responds to their desperate cries for help. The wretched, idolatrous, disgusting people He loves so dearly–even in the deepest depth of their sin–simply call out and He responds.

I find my behavior not all that dissimilar from the Israelites. It is alarming in the sense that I am aware of my depraved, fallible nature. It is comforting in the sense that the God of creation deemed them worthy of redemption. I have to assume He deems me worthy of redemption as well.

I wish I was a Deborah or Barak. I’d love to say I’m a Gideon or an Ehud. The truth is that I’m really an Israelite. My sin is just as great, and that’s alarming. God’s redemption is even greater, and that’s comforting.

I’ve read the stories and know the pattern: sin. redemption. sin. redemption. I leave the text and the words of Amazing Grace echo in my mind.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

After reading the responses of the Israelite people in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus, I cannot help but think about my dog. When I take Baylor, a golden retriever, in the back yard to get some fresh air, he frequently becomes fixated upon an animal (i.e. squirrel) or a smell.

When I take him outside, I am usually hoping for a couple of outcomes: 1. He relieves himself and 2. He exerts some energy that has been held in all day while inside. On most occasions, however, he easily becomes distracted with a squirrel or a smell. When this happens, I spend my time calling him in order that he will fulfill the two outcomes for which I let him outside. Sometimes it takes minutes for him to respond. My voice tends to get louder and louder and louder.

Finally, once I have yelled and distracted him enough, he returns back to me where I can re-direct him toward my original purposes. In a lot of ways, isn’t this what God had to do with the Israelites? After destroying their enemy and taking them out of Egypt, they began to get distracted and fixated upon their own desires (i.e. hunger). As God and Moses were working some things out in relation to the Law on the mountain, they became bored and distracted; thereby, fixating themselves upon a new God (i.e. molten calf).

Being the God of the Israelites, time and time again he would call them back and refocus them on the original purposes He had in mind for them. Next time you take your dog outside, remember that your dog’s fixation, which mostly becomes a distraction,  is not that different from what God encountered with His people that often became fixated upon something other than Him.