I was reading Judges, chapters 1 through 3 the other day and a couple of things stood out to me:

 

1. At the beginning of chapter 2 it says "Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, "I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land I had promised to your ancestors." ".

 

What strikes me about this verse is that the angel of the Lord (some believe this to be a euphemism for Christ) was doing in Bochim. Why did the angel not get to Bochim from Heaven but rather from Gilgal? Why was the angel of the Lord hanging about in Gilgal in the first place? Why bother with this detail unless it is important? Gilgal was where Joshua set up the 12 stone memorial to the crossing of the Jordan. It was also where the Israelites re-committed themselves to God’s promise by getting re-circumcised (OUCH!!! Once would be enough but twice would call for certain miracles I would imagine). Gilgal is certainly a hub of activity for the early Israelites…there is much coming and going from Gilgal.

 

2. In Joshua 2:22-22 it says "Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their ancestors did."

 

Interesting. It reveals the character of God. I wonder how this translates to His interactions with us today on a personal level? On a community level?

 

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On another note I am listening to Michael W. Smith and I love the lyric "though you are mourning and grieving your loss, death died a long time ago". Such a powerful lyric.

 

What prevents a person from crying out to God "I am yours – SAVE ME!", I wonder? What stops a person from hearing His voice as He yearns to take us into His arms? Why do we struggle against our creator with our every breath? At 18-years-old Mary Shelley had powerful insights into this – read Frankenstein.