Prayer: Father, please use this text to remind us of Your great mercy and grace. Equip us to obey you and serve you in every area of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction
The message of the whole Bible is that God’s grace is greater than you can possibly imagine. It is an ocean that has no coasts, no bottom. His mercy endures forever. 

This story of the birth of Samson is one of the places we are reminded of this, and it reminds us of the grace of God because it points so clearly to the birth of His only Son, Jesus Christ. 

The Text: “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. And there was a certain man of Zorah…” (Judges 13:1-25)

Summary of the Text
While the judges may have provided some measure of stability, Israel turned back to their evil ways and the Lord delivered them to subjugation under the Philistines (Judges 13:1). But remarkably, without Israel crying out, God began preparing deliverance by appearing to a barren woman and promising that she would bear a son who would be a Nazirite warrior who would fight the Philistines (Judges 13:2-5). When the woman told her husband, he prayed and asked God to deliver the message once more, and God answered and appeared again and repeated the instructions (Judges 13:6-14).

Manoah offered to honor the angel of the Lord with a feast, but the angel proposed a sacrifice be offered to the Lord instead (Judges 13:15-16). When Manoah asked what the man’s name was, he said he could not tell him because it was too wonderful, but when the sacrifice was offered, the angel ascended in the flame on the altar and Manoah and his wife fell on their faces on the ground (Judges 13:17-20). Knowing that this was the angel of the Lord Himself, Manaoh feared for his life, but his wife reassured him (Judges 13:21-23). And the woman bore the son as she was promised and named him Samson, and the Lord blessed him and filled him with His Spirit (Judges 13:24-25). 

Nazirite Vows
A central element of this story is the repeated instructions to avoid the fruit of the vine and that Samson will be a Nazirite – repeated three times (Judges 13:4-5, 13:7, 13:14). A Nazirite vow was taken by ordinary Israelites for special priest-like missions – usually temporary but sometimes, as in this case, permanent from conception (Num. 6). In the Song of Deborah, she sings praise to God for the people who “willingly offered themselves,” but literally it’s for the “loosening of the locks of hair freely” (Judges 5:2). This is a poetic reference to the Nazirite vow, which many of the men apparently swore when they joined the armies of Barak. Paul also took Nazirite vows in Acts during his missionary journeys (Acts 18:18, 21:24). Just as priests were required to wear a covering on their head while they ministered in the tabernacle/temple (Ex. 28:36-38), the Nazirite vow included not cutting hair while on this mission and functioned as their covering and indicated that their mission was dedicated/holy to God.  

The priests were forbidden from drinking wine in the tabernacle in order to distinguish carefully between holy and unholy, unclean and clean (Lev. 10:9-10), and so Nazirites also completely abstained from the fruit of the vine while on their holy mission. The Nazirite vow was an Old Testament type that pointed to the coming gift of the Holy Spirit that would anoint all believers and set them apart for mission and war. 

Part of this is reversed in the New Covenant: whereas Old Covenant priests never sat down and were forbidden all wine in God’s presence, in the New Covenant, we get to sit down and rest in Christ and share a taste of wine in His presence. At the same time, there is still an abiding warning: sobriety is necessary for making careful distinctions, especially in battle (1 Thess. 5:6-8). This is why Christians are warned not to be drunk with wine but filled with the Holy Spirit by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:18). This means that the buzz of alcohol (or drugs) is a false Holy Spirit, an idol that you are seeking peace and joy from, that only the Holy Spirit can actually give. And your judgment is being impaired.     

Samson was a type of the only faithful Savior who is full of the Spirit, whose judgment is always righteous, and who delivers us from all our enemies.

The Barren Gives Birth
After the Fall into sin, one of the central marks of the curse is difficulty and pain in conception and childbearing (Gen. 3:16). And despite many improvements in this area, it is still one of the great reminders today of Adam’s sin (e.g. barrenness, miscarriage, pregnancy complications, pain, etc.). And yet that curse was pronounced alongside the promise that the seed of the woman would crush the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). At the very point where the curse makes itself known and felt, God promised to demonstrate His power and mercy. It is therefore no accident that so many of the stories of the Old Covenant are stories of barren women giving birth: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, Ruth, and Elizabeth. And here, it is a nameless woman, known only to history as “Manoah’s wife.”  

Where sin destroys, God still brings life. But the point is also that God is determined to do this through the seed of the woman, at the very point of the curse. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). All sin is barrenness. It is fruitlessness. It is turning away from the light and life of God and turning toward darkness and emptiness. And this theme culminates in the ultimate “barren” womb of the virgin and the barren womb of the tomb. We serve the “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Rom. 4:17). 

Conclusion: The Grace of God
While Israel was doing evil and being oppressed, God was preparing their salvation. This is the nature of grace – completely undeserved. While we were still enemies, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8-10). 

In fact, there is some indication that God may have been doing this with three different barren women all around the same time leading to the births of Obed (Ruth), Samuel (Hannah), and Samson (wife of Manoah). 

But of course you would not have known it – you could not have seen what God was doing. It looked like the Israelites were doomed. It looked like the Philistines would rule them indefinitely. But God was starting a revolution in the wombs of barren women. It would be years before anyone knew. But faith knew. Faith in the living God knows. 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). One of the foundational things that faith knows is that God made everything that we see out of nothing (Heb. 11:3). But the most glorious thing that faith knows is that God has come for His lost and rebellious people, born of a virgin, born under the law, to redeem those under the curse of the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons (Gal. 4:4-5). And as sons, we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us (Rom. 8:37). In the very places where sin does its worst, God’s grace shines forth.

And that is why His name is wonderful. His name is Jesus, which means Savior.

Prayer: Father, help us to be preoccupied with Your grace. In all that we do, make us constantly remember what You have done for us through Your only Son, Jesus Christ – let it shape our work, our thoughts, our families, and our nation, and we ask in His name, who taught us to pray…

Prayer: Father, we know that unless you build our house, we labor in vain. Unless you guard our cities, no amount of security can keep us safe. So please teach us the wisdom of Christ, to build our houses and cities in obedience to His Word. And we ask for that now with this Word, in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Introduction
Building Christian community is one of the hardest things we are engaged in. The relative progress we have made in this venture is one of the greatest signs of God’s blessing. Only the Holy Spirit can knit people like us together.

But it also requires great wisdom, constant vigilance, and addressing sin. Bitterness and envy are not little sins that can be ignored. They are cancers that destroy families and churches and nations. 

The Text: “And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire…” (Judges 12:1-15)

Summary of the Text
This is now the second time the tribe of Ephraim has objected to God’s deliverance (cf. Judges 8:1), and here they march on Gilead, threatening to murder Jephthah, who has just delivered them from Ammon (Judges 12:1). Jephthah answers the accusation plainly, pointing to the Lord’s deliverance, but Ephraim is not appeased this time and Jephthah is forced to go to war with them (Judges 12:2-4). As Gilead routed Ephraim, there was a great slaughter at the Jordan River, especially of those who could not pronounce the word “Shibboleth” (Judges 12:5-6). And Jephthah judged Israel six years (Judges 12:7).

What follows is a list of three more judges: Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon (Judges 12:8-15). Ibzan and Abdon are both remembered for their prolific offspring and apparently political marriages and growing royal influence (Judges 12:8-10, 13-15). 

Brother Conflict
This is a civil war between tribes of Israel, but Gilead is a region and family within the tribe of Manasseh (Num. 26:29), which makes Ephraim and Manasseh’s conflict even closer: Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph. Remember that when Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, he crossed his hands, blessing Ephraim (the younger) with the greater blessing of the first born (Gen 48:13-20). 

Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh had settled on the east side of the Jordan at the beginning of the conquest (Num. 32, Dt. 3:13). And immediately following the conquest there was a skirmish between the east and west tribes when the east Jordan tribes built a memorial altar and the west Jordan tribes were worried it was an idolatrous shrine (Joshus 22). 

While that confrontation initially seemed clean and praiseworthy, perhaps it didn’t settle well or indicated brewing trouble, particularly on the side of Ephraim. 

Envy & Strife
James says that the root of human conflict is envy: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:1-2). The very first brother-conflict was rooted in Cain’s envy of his brother Abel and resulted in murder (Gen. 4:5-7). The root cause of conflict is desire, but it is an angry desire that despises how God has distributed His gifts and assumes that God does not have good for you.

Ephraim had the greater blessing, but it doesn’t appear to have gone well. And while Manasseh had the lesser blessing, their families initially had more land (and perhaps flocks) and seemed to be in somewhat better shape spiritually. Notice that: God can offer a greater blessing that is less materially, but the guy with more can handle it better. Gratitude is the key difference.

One of the great lessons of history and scripture is that you are most tempted to envy those most similar to yourself – because you assume that since that other person is so similar to yourself, you ought to have what they have. And given the story, we have plenty of fodder to suspect the same thing here. Ephraim was envious and insecure, rather than grateful and joyful.

James also says that bitter envy has a way of masquerading as “wisdom,” but it is actually earthly, sensual, and devilish (Js. 3:14-15). Envy can masquerade as an intense desire for unity or peace. One time there was a woman who brought flowers to put out on the tables at a church potluck, after a few months of this, another woman confronted her for trying to one-up all the other women. Of course, it would be possible for a woman to be competitive in that way, but in this case, it was the woman doing the confronting who was not in a good place – but it was framed as wisdom, as caring about unity and peace. 

We do work for unity, but faithfulness is more important (1 Corinthians). Paul embodies this point when he urges the Corinthians not to be fleshly in their allegiances, but then he proceeds to confront the Corinthains for their sins. Fleshly wisdom might say it isn’t the moment to bring up all those problems in Corinth, but true wisdom says it is. Fleshly wisdom might say better stop bringing those flowers to the potluck, but the wisdom from above says you better stop the bitter envy. The same logic would say that Abel should cool it with his sacrifices, but God said that Cain needed to cool it with his bitter envy. 

On Shibboleth
“Shibboleth” means “flowing stream” and was probably a convenient word to use at the fords of the Jordan River. But this scene is loaded with significance. Remember, the Jordan is where Joshua initially led the people across on dry ground to begin the conquest of Canaan – the sign of God’s great blessing on Israel after Moses has died (Josh. 3). But now it is a scene of judgment on Israel. Ephraim has begun acting like Canaanites, and so they are getting slaughtered like Canaanites. What should have been a place of unity became a testing point. 

In particular, the test was over the pronunciation of a word, which by itself is not necessarily a moral point, but it may suggest that Ephraim was developing its own culture distinct from the rest of Israel. Different accents and dialects develop naturally over time, but we always want organic development while pursuing Christ, not differences merely for the sake of being different. This is particularly tempting for young people: do not let resentment or insecurity drive your desire for newness. Godly ambition wants new blessings because God is good, but ungodly ambition wants to appear new simply to be distinguished from the old folks, the boomers, your parents. But that’s like buying pre-ripped jeans. It’s fake. Your goal should be to imitate the godliness of your parents and teachers, and wherever you determine to do something different, it should be because you are convinced faithfulness to Jesus requires it.

While the word “Shibboleth” has come to mean something arbitrary that people might divide over (and we should certainly not do that), the context implies that this was a sign of divisions far more significant.  

Conclusion: Different Kinds of Wisdom
While this story is an indication of the continued decline of Israel, it also illustrates what faithfulness must do during eras of decline. We must do our duty. Parents must correct children. Churches must practice discipline. Civil magistrates must punish criminals. When someone throws a fit, it can be tempting to cater to the fit for the sake of peace and unity — because it can seem like we have bigger things to think about. Everyone starts walking on eggshells because you don’t want to upset so-and-so. But that is a form of emotional blackmail. 

There is always a temptation to rely on the flesh – on what seems strong and impressive to us (1 Cor. 1:25). And sometimes that is the appearance of strength, unity, and peace. In this passage we have a string of judges, with two of them remembered for cultivating what looks like pagan strength and wisdom. We may not put our confidence in seventy donkeys but maybe it is kids, a house, a car, a job, or just feeling proud about being at church.

But Jesus says that if you have your gift at the altar and remember your brother has something against you, first be reconciled to your brother, then offer your gift (Mt. 5:23-24). Sometimes you need to address sin at the most inopportune times: shopping, guests for dinner, at church. 

When our kids were little, my wife knew that if there was a significant act of disobedience or fit at the grocery store, she would leave the cart in the aisle and walk out to get home to take care of the kids. She could call me at work if she needed back up, and I would drop everything and come home. 

Sometimes the bump happens right as you have guests coming over. Some couples have worked out hand signs for “please forgive me/I forgive you.” You might need to simply excuse yourself quickly and make things right in the back room. You will likely need to discipline the kids when guests are over. You will likely need to discipline the kids at church.

And remember that fellowship is not merely a lack of explosions. Men, you are required by God to know the state of your household, the state of your wife’s heart and the hearts of your children. You may not assume everything is fine simply because she is not mad today. You are required to study your wife. Know her and love her and her children. 

Love covers a multitude of sins, and love confronts sin (Lev. 19:17-18, Prov. 10:12). And this requires wisdom from above. In general, you cover sins of random thoughtlessness (forgetfulness, mild/momentary rudeness); you must confront sins that are festering (bad attitudes, lies, wrath, disruptive). But always make sure that your attitude is not the main problem. First take the log out of your own eye (are you angry? Bitter? Resentful? Envious?). Christ died first. He who had no sin, laid His life down first. And so this is the pattern. You die first. My life for yours. This means confessing your own sin first, acknowledging how you have contributed to the problem first, but laying your life down also means being willing to address the problem. 
This is the wisdom of the Cross.

Closing Prayer: Father, please grant us this wisdom from Your Spirit. Give us the mind of Christ that sees the difference between sin to cover and sin that must be confronted. Please continue to build our community into a truly fruitful Christian city. We ask for this in the name of the One who purchased all the nations with His blood

Introduction
In the evangelical classic The Cross and the Switchblade, David Wilkerson tells the story of his ministry to a street gang in New York City and the dramatic conversion of Nicky Cruz, a knife-wielding teenage gang leader. About 20 years later Cruz himself wrote a book called The Magnificent Three in which he wrote, “Something has emerged in my walk with God that has become the most important element of my discipleship. It has become the thing that sustains me, that feeds me, that keeps me steady when I am shaky. I have come to see God, to know Him, to relate to Him as Three-in-One, God as Trinity.” 

He continues, “God is a magnificent Father. God is a magnificent Savior, Jesus Christ. But if it were not for the magnificent Holy Spirit, I would still be a wretched, hateful sinner! It is not enough to have a Father-God who loves and provides for me. It is not enough even to have a Savior who died for my sins. For any of those blessings to make a difference in our lives, there must also be present in this world that Third Person of God, the Holy Spirit.”

We refer to the Trinity regularly. We confess our faith and are baptized and blessed in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but do you see this as magnificent? 

The Text: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love…” (1 Jn. 4:7-17)

Summary of the Text
Christians are addressed as “beloved,” but given the context that is not merely a term of affection from the apostle, it is a title for those who are loved by God Himself (1 Jn. 4:7). We are the “beloved” because we are loved by an eternal, magnificent, Triune love. Because God is love, you cannot know God and not imitate His love (1 Jn. 4:8). His love is not some vague, sentimental feeling; it was manifested toward us in that God sent His only begotten Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins (1 Jn. 4:9-10). “Propitiate” means to satisfy or turn away wrath. Christians are “beloved” because God Himself loved us by providing His own Son for us, who stood in our place and took the wrath we deserve for our sins, and so we ought to love one another like that (1 Jn. 4:11). 

No one has seen God as He is in Himself (in all His infinite perfection and beauty), but when Christians love one another sacrificially, we are seeing God’s divine love at work, because it is only possible to love like God by being united to God by His Holy Spirit in us (1 Jn. 4:12-13). This is how we know that we are in God and God is in us because we have come to know Jesus Christ as our Savior (1 Jn. 4:14-15). To know God is to know His Triune love, and therefore to know true love is to know God, such that our love in this world is a true manifestation of God, so that we are even confident about the day of judgement (1 Jn. 4:16-17). 

Why is the Trinity “Magnificent”?
The Trinity is magnificent because it reveals God as inherently full of this magnificent, sacrificial love. Paul says the same: “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:5-8). We are filled with the love of God by the Holy Spirit, and that love is the sacrificial love of the Trinity for ungodly sinners: “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10) – the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Salvation is all of grace, which means it is all of God. Only God can satisfy God’s justice; only God can bring us fully to God – this is the magnificent work of the Trinity. Salvation is monergistic – only God can come for us, rescue us, and unite us to Himself. God does all of it. If some part of our salvation is left to us, to angels, to saints then our salvation is in some doubt. It is left to us to try, to strive, to hope, to work. This is why all non-Trinitarian religions must ultimately always result in a works-salvation and doubt and fear. To the extent that salvation is less than all grace, we do not understand the love of God and we do not understand the magnificence of the Trinity.

Five Practical Implications

Personalism: The Trinity is magnificent because it reveals that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8), and this love means that we can know God – that God is personal. If God were a solitary, transcendent, undifferentiated monad there would ultimately be nothing to know. But God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is Father, Lord, Creator; God is Son, Beloved, Savior; God is Spirit, Advocate, Presence. Do you know the Father?

Community: The Trinity is magnificent because it is the archetype of all our longing to belong, to be known, to share hospitality. God’s will to create the universe was absolutely gratuitous (God needed nothing), and therefore, it demonstrates an overflowing delight in the other, in selfless fellowship, true friendship, caring community. To know God is to be ushered into His fellowship and to share His fellowship with one another (1 Jn. 4:12-13). 

Hierarchical Equality: The Trinity is magnificent because it is the archetype of covenant loyalty: love as strong as death (Song 8:6). But rather than top-down domination, Trinitarian love is a hierarchy of equalities. The Father is the Eternal Source of the Godhead, but the Son and the Spirit are co-equal with the Father. The husband is the head of the household, but his wife is equal in glory and grace. A magistrate is to be honored and obeyed, but the poorest peasant bears the image of God and God’s Word. This creates radically free, covenantal societies, a sort of Protestant feudalism, with free markets and private property – unity and diversity under God’s law.

Prayer: The Trinity is magnificent because it guarantees that God hears our prayers. “For through Him [Christ] we both have access by One Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18). We know that God hears our prayers because God the Holy Spirit is Who causes us to pray to God as our Father (Rom. 8:15). And whatever we ask in Jesus’ name has the full authority of God, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13). And Scripture is the Father’s Word to us (Christ) in the power of the Spirit.

Beauty: The Trinity is magnificent because it reveals the perfect harmony at the highest point of reality. “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD…” (Ps. 27:4). His creation reflects His beauty: music, food, sunsets, animals, mountains, waterfalls, oceans, art, people, poetry, worship, dancing, love. But it is all a distant echo of the most Beautiful Song, flakes of gold pointing to a Magnificent Mine – the Magnificent Trinity.

Photo by Liana S on Unsplash

Prayer: Father, I pray that Your Holy Spirit would use this, Your Word, to convict our hearts and teach us wisdom. Make us a people who cling to Your Word without any shame or fear. Grant us courage and boldness in Your Word, in Jesus name, Amen. 

Introduction
Because we live in a time where the dictionary has been ripped up and reassembled every few years and then weaponized against Christians, we live in a time that faces peculiar challenges. And this is overlaid on top of the usual temptations that have faced all people of all ages: animosity, envy, pride, and fear – frequently related to different nationalities, ethnicities, etc.

But the Holy Spirit has been poured out to remake this shattered world. The Holy Spirit is the wisdom and power and clarity of God’s Word restoring meaning, justice, and love, and with these gifts, over time, true community. 

The Text: “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him…” (Lev. 19:17-18, 32-36)

Summary of the Text
The Second Greatest commandment is found here in Leviticus 19, and it is stated twice for emphasis. Initially, it applies to brothers and countrymen, with the exhortation that tension and trouble ought to be addressed in a straightforward way, including confrontation for sin (Lev. 19:17). This law forbids seeking vengeance and harboring any bitterness (Lev. 19:18). This golden rule applies to previous generations and the elderly, standing up in their presence and honoring them – this is one of the greatest ways we fear the Lord (Lev. 19:32). But this law also applies to strangers and foreigners, whom God’s people must not mistreat in any way (Lev. 19:33). God’s people are required to treat foreigners with the same standard as they treat native born citizens (Lev. 19:34). God’s people are to do this, remembering that they were once foreigners in the land of Egypt (Lev. 19:34). And this includes equal weights and measures of every sort – for the Lord is our God, and He brought us out of Egypt (Lev. 19:35-36, cf. Eph. 2:13-18).   

Clearing Away Distractions
God’s Word does not require that we pretend that everyone is the same. Our physical differences are glorious, and we need not be embarrassed by them and we ought not demean what God has made (Act 17:26, Rev. 7:9). We can and must do this without giving in to egalitarianism, relativism, or sentimentalism. There are different kinds and levels of beauty, and sin has affected every tribe and family.

God’s Word does not require that we pretend that cultural differences are all the same. There are gifts and strengths in various cultures, and there are weaknesses and atrocities in various cultures. All things being equal, the more of the gospel that penetrates a culture, the more fruitful that culture will be, and the less the gospel penetrates a culture, the more enslaved and perverse it will be. Nevertheless, “who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7)

God’s Word does not require that nations have no process for orderly immigration or protection against foreign threats. It need not be hateful or bigoted to have immigration laws and to enforce them. The command to practice hospitality does not mean you must have everyone over tomorrow or that you must entertain a trespasser who broke in. But we should keep an eye out for fleshly instincts looking to freeload on otherwise righteous train cars. When people keep accusing you of malice, you can be tempted to get bitter. 

Weaponization of Christian Virtue
Cultural Marxism and identity politics have been termites eating into our Christian culture for a number of decades, intentionally trying to stir up animosity by identifying people primarily by ethnicity and sex, and now all manner of increasingly narrow “intersectional” oppression points (e.g. black, female, homosexual, etc.). But the thing you must not miss is that this has been aimed squarely at Christians accusing us of hate and bigotry because we believe in the reality that God made: male and female are permanent differences that matter, sexual intimacy is reserved for monogamous heterosexual marriage, and we also refuse to apologize for any part of the Bible, including texts that allow for certain, biblically-limited forms of slavery.

So the initial play has been guilting Christians over some sins (racial slavery, racial prejudice) in order to burn down Christian civilization (e.g. homosexuality, transgenderism, and mass immigration). If someone objects, they clearly are “racists.” It’s gotten to the point where a “racist” is apparently anyone who disagrees with a liberal. At one point there was a chart on the Smithsonian website that defined “whiteness” as emphasizing things like math, the scientific method, hard work, and the nuclear family.    

Don’t Take the Bait
In the aftermath of this Marxist-LGBT Jihad, some Christians are taking the bait. And the bait is to buy into the Cultural Marxist categories and seek so-called “social justice” via the catharsis of vengeance, bitterness, and sinful hatred. For example, having been kicked in the head for a number of decades for being white, male, heterosexual, and Christian, some young men in this category have decided they don’t care if they are racist or sexist or antisemitic. They are fed up. But there is a massive difference between being slandered for false accusations (and rejoicing) and embracing the accusation and wearing it like a prize. You must not believe any of their lies – the fundamental target of their hatred is not white skin – they hate God’s world. They hate Jesus Christ. They hate God’s law.  

But since these angry young men would get fired if they went full blown KKK, they hide their bitterness in various ways. Some call it “race realism,” claiming that they don’t hate other races – they just tell the truth, they’ve just “noticed,” but there’s often an obvious biting edge. Or they try to hide their bitterness under the guise of jokes, stereotypes/generalizations, and just having fun. And what’s wrong with you old boomers, can’t you take a joke?

The problem isn’t a good-natured joke, the problem is being rude, and the seething bitterness that is often very clearly just below the surface. The problem is putting your finger on the scale because that’s what they’ve been doing. The problem is your double standards. While there’s nothing wrong with being white, loving America, or wearing pit-viper shades, there is all kinds of wrong clapping back with Marxist tropes and memes. To identify our primary divisions as racial or ethnic is to buy into the Marxist scheme. As Trufflehunter said about inviting ogres and hags to join Caspian’s rebellion, “We should not have Aslan for friend if we brought in that rabble.”

“Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!” (Prov. 26:18-19 ESV). There is a kind of joking that is actually malicious, deceitful, and murderous. There is a kind of joking that is impolite, boorish, and insolent – it is not loving your neighbor as yourself, it is not equal weights and measures. And it is particularly tone deaf in the mouths/hearts of God’s people who were once strangers but have now been made God’s friends (Eph. 2:12-13). 

Conclusions 
What Christians are called to is biblical absolutism and clarity. When the storms of accusations and woke mobs scream, we want to be found clinging to God’s Word. God’s Word is our light and truth and justice. But humanism is a dark hole. God’s Word gives us plenty to offend the liberals with – and on those issues, we must continue to cultivate our Tom Petty Biblicism – and not back down in the slightest. But actual ethnic bitterness, resentment, animosity, vainglory, rudeness, and disrespect – those are actually sins. And we are at war with all sin.

This means that your sweet Christian grandmother is not the standard for speech and conduct, but she is to be honored greatly and listened to carefully. An older Christian minister is not the standard, but he is to be honored greatly and listened to carefully, especially if he has been in this fight for longer than you have been alive. Patting him on the head (with eye rolls, emojis, gifs, or snide comments) is not honor, and it betrays a distinct lack of the fear of God (Lev. 19:32). And you don’t want to be paling around with people like this (friends, podcasts, influencers, etc.). You might be sick of the impotent church that refuses to fight, and at least that guy is willing to fight. But that is a false dichotomy. The Holy Spirit holds joy and courage together. 

What only the Holy Spirit of God can give us is a jovial militance, a joyful ferocity – we want to be a band of happy warriors against sin. And this is only possible when the cross has taken away all our sin, all our angst, all our envy, all our pride – “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). Notice that: the fundamental division is between man and God. It is that enmity that creates all the other enmity. The guilt of Adam is the stain on the human race that only the blood of Jesus Christ can remove. And it is the Holy Spirit that does that work. The blood of Christ does not remove our differences, but the blood of Christ removes all the enmity.

In that fertile soil grows the fruit of the Spirit, and against such things there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23).  

 Prayer: Father, I pray that Your Spirit would drive this word into our hearts and apply it in exactly the right way. Remove our enmity, our animosity, and teach us true wisdom – the wisdom that is from above that is full of peace and courage. We ask for this in Jesus’ name…

Prayer: Father, we confess that we are people who have forgotten much of our past. We do not remember your faithfulness, and we do not remember our fathers, and so we are easily manipulated and we believe the lies of our enemies. Cause Your Spirit to use this text to reignite our love for your story so that we may fight faithfully, in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Introduction
History is covenantal. This means that Christ is Lord of history, and this means that history is demonstrating the covenant faithfulness of God – that God keeps His promises – ultimately in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. 

This also means that history is the story of God’s personal dealings with people, families, and nations based on how they respond to God. It is not an impersonal machine churning through time; it is the story of God’s dealings with His creation. He raises up the humble; He puts down the proud. 

All of it is designed to make us worship Him, to stand in awe at His wisdom, and to trust Him through our chapters in His epic tale. The story of Jephthah underlines these themes. God is Lord. God is King. 

The Text: “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah…” (Judges 11:1-40)

Summary of the Text
Jephthah was a son of Gilead, a descendent of Ephraim, by a harlot and was rejected and sent away from his family, where a gang of outcasts gathered around him (Judges 11:1-3). However, when the Ammonites came against Gilead, the elders sent for Jephthah to lead their armies because he was a “mighty man of valor” (Judges 11:4-6). Understandably, Jephthah wanted to make sure that if he fought for them, he would not be treated as he had been previously, but he and the elders and the people may have also had a more kingly goal in mind as they swore oaths before the Lord (Judges 11:7-11). 

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonites asking why they were invading the land of Israel and when the Ammonites tried to use revisionist history to claim they were merely retaking stolen land, Jephthah explained that it was actually the Amorites who lost the land fair and square when their ancestors attacked Israel peacefully passing through (Judges 11:12-26). Jephthah appealed to the Lord as Judge, and when Ammon refused to relent, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah and he vowed to offer to the Lord whatever came out to meet him when he returned in victory, and the Lord delivered Ammon into his hands (Judges 11:27-33). But when Jephthah returned, it was his daughter who first met him and therefore she was dedicated to the Lord as a virgin, as was a custom in Israel, and it became an annual day of memorial (Judges 11:34-40).

Human Sacrifice?
This story has puzzled and troubled Bible readers for centuries. Jephthah vows to offer whatever comes out of the doors of his house as a “burnt offering” (Judges 11:31) and the end of the story says that he did with her “according to his vow” (Judges 11:39). And many commentators conclude that this can mean nothing other than that he offered his daughter as a human sacrifice to God. Some cite the story of Abraham offering Isaac as a potential parallel as well as stories from ancient pagan cultures to explain the plausibility. I do not think that is what happened for a number of reasons:

1. While Jephthah’s gang may have been rough around the edges, the context depicts Jephthah as a pious and educated man: he is a “mighty man of valor” like Gideon (Judges 6:12) and he appeals to the Lord for deliverance and justice, takes vows before the Lord, and knows Scripture and the history of God’s people well – including, presumably, God’s law (Judges 11:9-11, 14-27).

2. In the immediate context of Jephthah’s vow, it says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (Judges 11:29). While it’s true that men who have the Spirit of the Lord sometimes sin colossally (e.g. Samson, David), for a frivolous or wicked vow to come immediately after that seems entirely incongruous. 

3. While God tested Abraham with the command to offer Isaac, the uniform testimony of Scripture is that human sacrifice is considered pagan and utterly repulsive to God: “There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire…” (Dt. 18:10, cf. Dt. 12:31, 2 Kgs. 16:3, 21:6). God considers it an abomination that is repulsive to his commands and mind (Jer. 7:30-31). Hebrews says that Abraham believed that God was going to raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19).

4. The of law of God specifically provides that for humans that are “devoted” to the Lord as an offering, they must be redeemed either by money or (presumably) for service to the Levites (Num. 18:14-16, Ez. 44:29, cf. Num. 8:17-18). Therefore, this was something like Hannah’s vow when she dedicated Samuel to the tabernacle (1 Sam. 1:11), which has some corroboration elsewhere (Ex. 38:8, 1 Sam. 2:22, Lk. 2:36-27).  

5. Jephthah’s daughter is said to specifically “bewail her virginity” for two months (Judges 11:37-38). And the conclusion of Jephthah keeping his vow is: “And she knew no man” (Judges 11:39). The clear emphasis is on his daughter’s ongoing virginity, not the end of her life. 

6. Finally, Hebrews lists Jephthah as a hero of faith (Heb. 11:32). This does not mean that Jephthah was sinless or incapable of significant failure, but to accuse of him of such vile paganism without clear repentance makes the Hebrews evaluation appear impossible. 

Jephthah’s Sorrow
At the same time, Jephthah is clearly heartbroken about dedicating his daughter as a virgin to serve at the tabernacle. Why? First, the text emphasizes that she is his only child (Judges 11:34). Any hope of descendants evaporates with the fulfillment of this vow. Second, it seems likely that Jephthah’s flaw was similar to Gideon’s and what we have seen several times already: the temptation to embrace Canaanite-style politics. So Jephthah will not only not have grandkids, he will not have a political dynasty. To his great credit, he keeps his vow and submits to the Lord (Judges 11:35). It is a hard providence, but it is not an evil outcome. So I take Jephthah’s vow as pious, but God tested him and underlined the fact that Jephthah would not be king. All of this underlines the importance of keeping your vows (marriage, membership, baptism, contracts, etc.) and trusting God (Ps. 15:4).

The Importance of History
We should not miss the fact that the military invasion of Ammon included an educational-information war. Like most conflicts, there was propaganda element to it – revising history to fit an agenda. We have been in a similar culture war for many decades, including many revisionist claims in our schools (E.g. Darwin, Columbus, the 1619 Project, slavery, civil rights, etc.). This is why we must be people steeped in history, beginning with Scripture itself but also including the history of the West broadly and America in particular. You and your children need to be prepared to tell God’s story – His-story so that you will not be manipulated, duped, or conquered. Knowing and studying history is central to understanding the Lordship of Christ over history. This is why Christian education is so important – but it must not be a Christian education on autopilot. Christian education is war.

Conclusions
In some ways, Jephthah reminds us of Jesus – a rejected son from a scandalous birth, a friend of sinners and tax-collectors, filled with the Spirit to defeat our enemies. And where Jephthah’s vow required him to completely surrender his kingly aspirations, Jesus kept an even greater vow and surrendered His life to a sacrificial death on our behalf in order to be crowned as King forever. 

And that orients everything we do. He is King, and our children belong to Him. He is King, and we work for Him. He is King, and He must reign until all of His enemies are put beneath His feet. He is King, and the nations must submit to His rule.

Prayer: Father, please teach us the wisdom of history, the wisdom of Your covenantal faithfulness, the wisdom of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Grant us courage and patience, power and joy, in Jesus’ name…

The central thing is that Christians parents are required to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus. Deuteronomy says that means talking about God and His Word all day long (Dt. 6). So, anti-Christian education is out, and Christian parents are responsible for determining how to best carry out that mandate. And what I want to talk about in this short essay is the reality of trade-offs. Not all Christian education methods are created equal. Different educational methods have weaknesses and strengths; different families have different weaknesses and strengths; and the same thing can be said of cultures, communities, and eras — not everyone has the same options in front of them. Wisdom is not utopian or sentimental or romantic; it reads the story you are in (not the one you wish you were in) and then makes the best of the options available, taking into account the trade-offs. 

Some Background
But before making that point in detail, I’d like to review my experience, just so it’s clear that I’m not just making this up out of thin air or that I’m necessarily biased in one direction. 

As it happens, my wife and I have been involved in a number of different options over many years. I accidentally started a boys’ school back in 2001 that ran for about 6 years here in Moscow. We put our oldest son in Logos when we moved back to Moscow after seminary in 2008. And then somewhere along the line we helped start a homeschool coop, originally called Logos Recitations, which later became Whitehorse Hall. Jenny and I really liked how the structure of Logos School impacted our sons at a young age. The uniform, the teachers, assignments and grades – that set-up was good for their souls. Boys need pressure and weight on their shoulders, and a traditional day school can be a means to do that. At the same time, we liked having our daughters home with mom for a few more years, but our inclination was to have them finish at Logos. So that is why we helped start Logos Recitations, which became White Horse Hall. Our initial goal was to create a homeschool coop that was closely associated with Logos School in order to build an on-ramp for homeschool families that might be inclined that way. But as both were growing quickly and space was limited, we parted (on friendly terms) just to make room for everyone. 

At the same time, I’ve served on the board of Logos School and White Horse Hall, and as I mentioned earlier, I helped run Atlas School – the boys school – for 5 years. So I’ve been heavily involved in different kinds of Christian education options for over 25 years, not to mention that I was homeschooled by my parents through 6^th grade and then attended three different Christian schools through high school. 

So with that said, the point I want to make is that every educational option is a trade-off, and the question is which trade-offs are you best suited to make? Which would be the best for your kids?

Day School Trade-Offs
Institutions lean, well, institutional, which means that if you let institutionalism take over, you can end up with a straight-jacket. For example, thoughtless families can have their family culture eaten up by school schedules. Some traditional Christian day school parents go on autopilot and are then shocked when their kids made friends with fat heads and start acting like fat heads themselves.

Some institutions can lean in a heavily feminine direction. Boys tend to be rough and tumble, and testosterone-fueled fruit of the spirit often looks different than the non-testosterone versions. If a traditional day school does not actively lean against the normalization of feminine virtue, you will end up giving all the spiritual and academic awards to the sweet girls who color in the lines and leave Bible verses in their best friend’s locker. And if a boy happens to actually meet that standard, he will likely be coming out as a flamer in the next few years.

There are also potential temptations for girls at traditional schools as well. Cattiness and gossip and cliques can become a cancerous legion, and where daughters should look to their fathers for counsel and security, strong male administrators or teachers can become inadvertent substitutes if steps are not taken to guard against it. And sometimes that can even turn into scandals.

Homeschooling Trade-Offs
However, homeschooling leans, well, home-ish – informal, casual, etc. If you are not careful, a homeschool can start to resemble a small barbarian tribe with jelly for face paint. I like to say that when homeschooling is done well, it can be honestly breathtaking and when it is not, it can be, well, breathtaking. As C.S. Lewis has the senior demon in Screwtape Letters say, the thing is to have the humans constantly guarding against the danger they are least likely to face. And many homeschoolers are deathly afraid of being too structured, which is rarely the danger they actually face. 

At home, daughters are in their natural habitat, but it can be quite challenging for boys, especially as they hit puberty and are starting to feel the awkwardness. Good dads compensate for this through personal involvement, coop classes, and contact sports, but it’s something that has to be addressed. Sometimes in families where there are many children, there are hours and days without accountability. And some dare to lean into this by calling it intentional “un-schooling,” but I would call it “looking-for-trouble.” This can mean time alone on computers with access to raunchy stuff online. This can mean opportunities to cheat on school work. This can leave time for older teenage boys to get into sexual trouble with younger siblings. So basically, there has to be a lot of vigilance, structure, and accountability. 

Sex-Segregated Trade-Offs
I said earlier that I accidentally started a boys school many years ago, and that happened because I was tutoring homeschool boys who were middle school aged, and two brothers turned into 12 boys over the course of a summer and then we were talking about having classes every day. As the oldest of five boys, I’ve always looked back in gratitude for the opportunity, as I was very accustomed to bossing around a pile of boys. And while I didn’t set out to start a segregated boys school, I came to see some of the advantages. 

Teaching math or Latin with a little bit more of the style of a football coach has its perks. Boys naturally love to compete, and you can play to that strength in an all-boys context. Sometimes, in a co-ed school, you have one nerdy boy at the top of the class, a pack of dutiful girls, and then the rest of the boys, who don’t want to be a girl or a nerd, decide not to care about academics. An all-boys context can cut out that excuse. At the same time, after five years of that, I can tell you that I increasingly thought that what those boys needed was a few girls around. An all-boys school very quickly descends into locker room sloppiness – if it is not carefully guarded against, as in military-school discipline. 

I would also note that God created us male and female and put us in a co-ed world, and therefore, even if it is wise to segregate the sexes periodically for particular purposes, it seems unnatural to make that an ordinary part of a boy’s life growing up (or a girl’s for that matter). I would also point out that sex-segregated schools are less common in America, and that means that we are simply less familiar with the downsides or dangers that will need to be guarded against. While the English boys schools were often boarding schools (and that would be yet another wrinkle on this discussion), C.S. Lewis and others have pointed out the rampant homosexuality that developed in their boys school experiences. So there’s that. 

Conclusion
So the question for a wise father is: given the options you have in front of you, what is the wisest course? And specifically, which dangers would you prefer to compensate for? Which trade-offs would you prefer? Depending on your gifts and abilities and the gifts and abilities of your wife, I can imagine different answers to that question. But speaking for myself, I have preferred the default structure of a co-ed day school. In our case, the board and administration of Logos is very aware of the dangers of day schools (mentioned above) and actively takes steps to lean against them and supports families that also want to lean against them. 

I would rather the structure of Logos and then work to push against the temptations of institutions, rather than the default of less structure at home and needing to push hard to create that structure. I prefer the accountability of lots of teachers and administrators and a curriculum plan and the strong cultural momentum of a generally healthy student body, and then I feel free to make adjustments for the blessing of my family. 

Homeschoolers tend to want more time as a family, and many of them do a great job of balancing structure and family time. But sometimes I wonder if there are high hopes of sweet family times which in reality end up being lots of time for getting into trouble or academic laxity. I would rather work hard to create the family time than to have all that time and be burdened with creating the structure. And I suspect that really would be better for many. 

Likewise, I’d prefer the trade-off of a co-ed school, while acknowledging that I have to work hard to create male and female specific spaces for my children. But I prefer that trade-off to a sex-segregated school that then requires me to spend most of my time trying to create co-ed opportunities. Again, some of that is simply based on familiarity. I know how to run one play much easier than the other. But we only have so many hours in the day. 

One final word: in a Christian community like ours, it is important that we understand the difference between principles and methods. The principles are (in no particular order): the necessity of Christian education, obedience and honor of parents, vigilant love and discipline of children, love of the Lord Jesus, academic integrity and excellence, sexual honor and purity, and vocational training. Since the Bible doesn’t mandate exactly how a father is to apply those principles, there is true Christian liberty in methodology. And a strong Christian community must be united and like-minded around those principles, without rivalry or resentment about methods.

At the same time, this doesn’t mean that no one may say anything about potential weaknesses or failures. If a dad has failed to keep tabs on his daughter at a Christian day school and she’s now known as miss-flirty-pants, it is perfectly in bounds for close friends and elders to bring that up. If a dad has failed to lead his homeschooling family to be organized and his kids to be well-disciplined, and the neighbors refer to them as a traveling circus of chimpanzees, this may certainly be addressed by close friends and pastors – and perhaps that is not the best educational option for them.

Prayer: Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we live among a proud and insolent people who have rebelled against You and Your Christ. But we know that Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead for nations like ours because we are standing here by Your great mercy. And so we are bold to ask You to turn us back to Yourself. We know that this means nothing short of resurrection, and so on this resurrection day, we ask for that. In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

Introduction
This nation was built by Protestant Christians – puritans and presbyterians who believed in the sovereignty of God. They believed that God was sovereign over the great movements of nations and civilizations because they believed He was exhaustively sovereign over every detail of the universe, preeminently the salvation of every man, woman, and child. 

Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Witherspoon all preached this sovereign grace rooted in the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – and this was central to the greatness of our nation. We have been great because we knew that all that we had was from the Lord Jesus Christ. America must return to this sovereign grace if we hope to be great again.

The Text: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:4-10).

Summary of the Text
The center of the Christian message is God – who is rich in mercy and full of great love for men who know themselves to be sinners (Eph. 2:4). He made us alive – He raises sinners from the death of their guilt and shame – and He did this in the resurrection of Jesus Christ – which means it was already accomplished and secured 2,000 years ago, for by grace you are saved (Eph. 2:5). He raised us from the dead and has made us ascend with Christ into the heavens, where He plans to show off the riches of His grace forever (Eph. 2:6-7). It is grace from first to last and everything in between, which means everything is a gift (which He planned to give to us before the foundation of the world, Eph. 1:4); we achieved nothing for ourselves – including our faith, so that there is not the tiniest scrap that we can boast about (Eph. 2:8-9), including all the good works He has prepared and is sculpting into us (Eph. 2:10).

American Heresy
One of America’s great heresies (among many) is that we have come to believe that we have a hand in our salvation. The message that many churches have come to preach is that Christ has done a great work by His death and resurrection that gives man “a chance” to be saved. The message is that God has “made it possible” if only you will believe, make a decision, etc. Sometimes, the verse from Revelation about Jesus standing at the door and knocking is used to try to make this point (Rev. 3:20) – as though Jesus is pleading with men to accept Him. The worst versions of this imply that God needs man and that man ought to have pity on God instead of the truth which is that man needs God and that God has had pity on man (Eph. 2:4).

This has resulted in the preaching of an impotent Christ, and an arrogant and self-centered and self-assured nation. The implication is that salvation ultimately depends upon man and so all of the emphasis has shifted to this goal, which also accounts for much of our therapeutic culture. But the problem is not that man is sick and needs medicine. The problem is not that man merely needs God’s helping hand. The problem is not that man has low self-esteem and needs more positive thinking.

Dead in Sins
The message that the Bible brings to the world is that apart from Jesus Christ, men are dead in their sins (Eph. 2:1, 5). The problem with so much modern American preaching has been a tendency to downplay this, to explain it away, and to do so for egalitarian reasons. They want everyone to have a chance. And so they preach that Christ died to give everyone a chance, and then they plead with everyone to give Jesus a chance. 

But the problem is that the Bible teaches that no one has a chance. Because of Adam’s sin, everyone is born in the death of guilt and sin and they cannot do anything to save themselves, and in that state, they do not want to: no one seeks God (Rom. 3:9-23). Even the righteousness of sinners is like filthy menstrual rags (Is. 64:6). The carnal mind is “hostile against God” and cannot submit to the law of God – it’s incapable of it (Rom. 8:7-8). The natural man “cannot understand” spiritual things – they are folly to him (1 Cor. 2:14). 

A Valley of Dry Bones
God pictures the problem of human depravity in Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones (Ez. 37). Dry bones are not freshly dead men; they are long dead men. And the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones of Israel telling them to hear the word of the Lord (Ez. 37:4). That is what preaching is. It is Jesus at the grave of Lazarus, but it’s a Lazarus skeleton, completely picked dry by the bugs and parasites. 

Jesus is absolutely clear: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn. 6:44). This is no impotent Jesus. Jesus did not go to the Cross to make salvation merely possible. He went to the Cross as the Good Shepherd to give His life for His sheep and guarantee their salvation (Jn. 10:11), and those who do not believe are not His sheep (Jn. 10:26). “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (Jn. 10:27-30). 

Conclusion
J.I. Packer says of this message: “It announces, not merely that men must come to Christ for salvation, but also that they cannot come unless Christ Himself draws them. Thus it labors to overthrow self-confidence, to convince sinners that their salvation is altogether out of their hands, and to shut them up to a self-despairing dependence on the glorious grace of a sovereign Savior, not only for their righteousness but for their faith too.”

So this is the message to you, to America, and for the world. Christ did not die and rise again for all men everywhere in some vague, desperate hope that many would accept His offer. He is not dependent on us for His salvation to go forth. This is a hard word, but it is hard on our self-righteousness and self-confidence. God is God, and we are not. But it is such a wonderful word for those who are being saved.

Christ came and died and rose again for His own. Christ laid His life down for His bride, the Church, and so she will be sanctified to complete perfection (Eph. 5:25-27). Christ has entered the heavenly sanctuary with His efficacious blood and has secured the “eternal redemption” of His own (Heb. 9:12) and has perfected them for all time (Heb. 10:14). All that the Father has given to Christ will come and Christ will not lose a single one (Jn. 6:37-39). 

You cannot lift a finger to save yourself, but all who come to Christ will be saved to the uttermost. It is all grace. So how is salvation possible? God’s grace gives what He commands. And so ministers of this gospel have been authorized to command that all men must repent and believe with this sure promise: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

And when you call it is because you were called. When you believe it is with a faith that you were given. And if you love Him it is because He loved you first.

Because it is all grace flowing from His empty tomb.

Prayer: Father, we praise You for confounding all the leaders and powers of the first century. You confounded the mighty and the rich and the wise, and You in Your great wisdom and power and might threw down the gates of death. You defanged our Enemy the Devil, and You took away all our sins and raised us from the dead with Your Son, Jesus Christ. And so we are bold to ask that You would look upon our land with that compassion and raise our neighbors, our city, our nation, and every nation from the dead. We ask in the name of Jesus…

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30).

Father, please give us Your Holy Spirit now so that as we consider these words, You might reveal Your Son Jesus Christ to us in great majesty, so that we may worship Him, as our crucified and risen Lord and King. Amen.

It is finished. Tetelestai. It’s a Greek word that was found on ancient papyruses, stamped on bills of sale and tax documents, meaning “paid in full.” It’s related to the word telos – which means end, goal, completion, or purpose.  It is finished. It is fulfilled. Mission accomplished. 

Jesus said, it is finished, and then He gave up the ghost. Notice that verb: He gave. It’s active. Jesus had said, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (Jn. 10:17-18). 

Jesus not only willingly allowed Himself to be betrayed, allowed Himself to be bound and taken before the Jews and before Pilate and Herod; He not only willing allowed Himself to be beaten and mocked and spat upon and finally nailed to the Cross, but He did it all while remaining in control. He had authority over it all. He had power over it all. And this authority and power continued even while suffering on the Cross, bleeding out, suffocating. 

No one took His life from Him. When He had suffered for the sins of His people, then, and only then, did He announce that the debt was paid. The work commanded by His Father was complete. It was finished. And then, and only then, did He freely and authoritatively relinquish His life and gave up His spirit. 

No other human being has done that. No other human being has authority over His own death. All other humans ultimately relinquish authority and power, and there is an important sense in which our lives are taken. But Jesus gave His life. He laid His life down because He is Lord of all. 

The next verse in John says that the Jews asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the three men on the crosses so that the bodies could be taken down before the Sabbath (John 19:31). And so just after Jesus announced that His work was finished and He gave up His life, they came to break the legs of the men, and they did so with the robbers on either side of Him. But the text says that when they came to Jesus, He was already dead. This certainly underlines the historical veracity of the account of His death. It also fulfills the prophecy from Psalm 22 that not one of His bones would be broken.

But it also implies that Jesus has completed a new creation. “It is finished” is what the Lord said at the end of the first creation and He rested from all His labors on the first Sabbath: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had made; and rested on the seventh day…” (Gen. 2:1-2).

Matthew and Mark do not record this final word of Jesus, but they say that He cried out and gave up His ghost and then they immediately add that at that moment the veil in the temple was torn it two from top to bottom and there was a great earthquake (Matt. 27:50-51). That veil in the temple was covered with ornate woven cherubim representing the separation of God and man going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when God had sent Adam and Eve out of the garden for their sin and placed cherubim there with a flaming sword to guard the entrance. 

Ever after, God’s presence was fiercely guarded. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and that only once a year on the Day of Atonement. But this had to happen again and again, year after year, for thousands of years. But when Christ gave up His life, that was finished. The system of separation and those rituals of exile were finished. The debt of our sin was paid in full, and a new creation had come into existence. The Old Covenant sacrifices and rituals were finished, completed – what they pointed to had come in Jesus Christ, our High Priest and our perfect sacrifice once for all. 

Hebrews says that the blood of bulls and goats never could take away sin. They were just signs of the need for shed blood to take away our sins, to make peace with God, to satisfy His holy justice. Those ancient priests served daily, sprinkling animal blood all around the altars, which could never take away sins. “But this man [Jesus] after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12). He sat down because He was finished. The work was finished: the way back into the Garden and into the Holy of Holies was torn wide open. “For by that one offering He has perfected forever them that are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). 

It is finished. Debts paid in full. New Creation. Sabbath rest. Full access. Perfected forever – those who are being sanctified. 

These are the doctrines of justification and sanctification side by side in the same verse. “He has perfected” those who are “being sanctified.” And you might ask, which one is it? Are we perfect or do we still need to grow in holiness? And the Bible’s answer is yes. 

John Calvin said that justification and sanctification are the double grace that Christ gives and He always gives both – at the moment of conversion. Christ is the sun, and He always gives light and heat. Justification is that “perfected forever” status, and sanctification is that becoming holy process. This is what theologians sometimes call redemption accomplished and applied. 

And that application includes the certainty of the process completed. When Christ died, He not only paid for the sins that would separate us from God, He also guaranteed the holiness and perfection of all His saints. Justification is the declaration at the beginning of the Christian life of what God promises He will complete and will most certainly say at the end. It is the judgment of the end of the world come forward into the middle of history. 

This means that when Jesus cried, “It is finished” and gave up His spirit in death, He declared then, on a mountainside outside of Jerusalem the verdict He promises to declare at the end of history over every single one of His people. He paid for it in full. He guaranteed its completion – the perfection and holiness of His saints – a new creation, a new heavens and new earth and perfect Sabbath rest. 

All who love Him, all who bow before Him, all who sincerely worship Him, and look to Him in faith as their Lord and Savior – you have heard already what Christ has promised to say to you on the last day, at the Great Judgment, seeing what He has worked in your life by His Spirit. Like a great Artist, standing back in admiration, looking upon His masterpiece, He will smile and this time with great joy, He will cry out: It is finished. It is complete. This is what I paid for. Mission accomplished.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Prayer: Father, teach us to sing like You sing. Teach us Your songs of war and joy. And take this song written by Your Spirit and teach it to our hearts and make us strong and joyful like You. Amen.

Introduction
The song of Deborah is a song of jubilant praise for God’s deliverance of His people. God used men and women who were willing, but the whole story and this whole song emphasizes that God is the One who fought for His people. And in this ancient song – celebrating Jael’s victory, we are reminded of an even greater victory won by the seed of the woman.

The Text: “Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying…”

Summary of the Text
Deborah sings this song like Miriam on the banks of the Red Sea (Ex. 15:20-21), and Barak joins in, presumably with all the people (Judges 5:1). It’s a song of praise to God who fought for His people with a great rainstorm and triumphed over their enemies (Judges 5:2-5). This was during the days of Shamgar the Judge and Jael and Deborah, when their enemies had made travel dangerous and had confiscated all their weapons (Judges 5:6-8). There is particular jubilance for the leaders and the tribes that joined Deborah and Barak in the battle, but scorn for those who refused (Judges 5:9-18). 

The stars came down and fought at this original Armageddon (“Har-Megiddo”), and the angel of God cursed Meroz who refused to fight (Judges 5:19-23). Jael is blessed above all women because she gave Sisera milk to put him to sleep and crushed his head so that he fell down dead (Judges 5:24-27). Deborah’s song mocks Sisera’s mother and her women in waiting, comforting themselves with the thought that the men must still be raping women and gathering clothes for spoil (Judges 5:28-30). And it closes praying that all of God’s enemies perish like that but let those who love Him shine like the sun – and so they had rest from their enemies for forty years (Judges 5:31). 

The Stars That Fought
This is clearly a poetic text, but the question remains: what does it mean when it says that the stars came down and fought (Judges 5:20)? This could be referring to angels as there is a close association between angels and stars throughout Scripture (Job 38:7, Rev. 1:20). And the “angel of the Lord” is mentioned almost immediately after (Judges 5:23). This could be referring to the rulers of Israel, all the “kings” that Deborah has just celebrated – since rulers are associated with stars (Gen. 37:9-10, Num. 24:17). This could also be referring to the weather – the powers of the heavens, which would link back to angels who are also associated with the weather and storms (Ps. 18:10ff, Ps. 104:4, Rev. 7:1). And I think it is a poetic way of referring to all of the above. God sits enthroned in the Heavens among the “heavenly host,” and therefore when He acts and comes down, the stars and the angels and the clouds and His people all act in unison, as a great storm of glory and judgment (e.g. Psalm 18). 

On the one hand, this is a glorious reminder that we are surrounded by heavenly armies: “Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those with them” (2 Kgs. 6:15-17). In fact, in Christ, the whole universe is on our side: all of creation joins its Maker (think of St. Patrick’s Breastplate). 

This is also a reminder that in Christ, God’s people have been seated with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). This was the promise to Abraham, that his descendants would be like the stars (Gen. 15:5). That isn’t just numbers; it’s authority and power and rule. To know the Creator and Lord of the Universe, to have His Spirit dwelling in you, is to have access to the wisdom that rules all things, and the prayers of the righteous avail much (Js. 5:16-18). 

The Seed of the Woman
It is impossible to read this story of Jael and Sisera and not recall the promise to Eve: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). This is the central theme of the whole Bible: God’s promise to crush the head of the dragon. But the promise is that it will come through the seed of the woman; it will come through the surprise of apparent human weakness. It will come through the barren womb. It will come through a woman making her home. It will come through a shepherd boy. It will come through a virgin.

In fact, when Mary is called “blessed among women” (Lk. 1:42), Elizabeth is quoting Deborah’s song about Jael (Judges 5:24). Elizabeth is saying that Mary is a new Jael. But how is that? Mary doesn’t literally pound a tent peg through anyone’s head. Mary is the new and greater Jael because she bears the Seed who will fully and completely crush the dragon’s head. And how did Jesus do that? Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:14-15).

But follow this closely: when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, he lifted up a serpent pierced on a pole (Num. 21:9). And Jesus said that just as Moses had done that in the wilderness, He (Jesus) would be lifted up and pierced like that so that we might not perish. 

Satan is not merely a “bad guy” that can be lured into a tent and killed. Satan’s power is sin and death. He accuses of sin and punishes with death: the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). And because God is just, He cannot let sin go. He cannot merely wave it by. For God to be just He must punish sin, but if God were to punish mankind for our sin, we would all be under His wrath forever. 

So because of His great love, He devised the most glorious solution. He determined to become a man like us, so that He could bear God’s wrath in our place, instead of us, and because He is fully God, He can bear that wrath – and so He did. The Judge took our penalty. They pounded a crown of thorns into His head, and they drove stakes through His hands and feet and shoved a great spear into His side. But God arranged it such that when Christ was pierced, the head of that great dragon of old was crushed. 

Conclusion: And So We Sing
So, like Deborah and Barak, we sing. Singing is what God’s people do – they always have. Singing is what Christians do. Singing is not optional. Singing is not merely for the gifted. Singing is for the saved. Singing is for the delivered. Singing is for those who know they should be dead, they should be under the curse, but God Himself has come and fought and triumphed over the enemy that was too strong for us. God has won. God struck down sin, death, and Satan. He has crushed his head. And they have fallen down, and they are dead. 

Every one of us will still face death. The only question is whether that day will be the most glorious day for you or the worst day of your life. Death is coming, and you are either prepared to meet your Savior-Judge or else you are preparing to meet a Condemning-Judge. Which is it? The difference is what you see on the Cross. Do you see your sins crushed? Do you see your Savior’s love? Does it make you want to sing?

Closing Prayer: Father, please give us Your Spirit so that we might understand these things in the depths of our hearts. Strike down every remnant of Satan’s tyranny, and give us the grace to know the victory of Christ, who taught us to pray…