365 Reflections

It is one of cinema’s great quotes. From William Wallace played by Mel Gibson to the rightful albeit hesitant king Robert the Bruce of Scotland. While contemplating his next move for strategic political maneuvers, Robert is challenged by William with the following words, “Men do not follow titles, they follow courage.” The quote proves to be a game changer for Robert the Bruce and Scotland after the death of William Wallace according to the fictional recounting of the movie Braveheart. It is nonetheless true in the scriptures and true today. We are meant to be courageous but everything within and without us seeks to stop it. In 1 Samuel 14, while Saul is watching his army dwindle down to next to nothing, Jonathan poses a question to his armor bearer that brings about a sea-change for the nation of Israel. Instead of hiding and whimpering in the caves with the rest of the nation, Jonathan does what we all need to learn how to do. He challenges the status quo, he steps out from the s...

Judges 21:1–5 (ESV) Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” 2 And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. 3 And they said, “O Lord , the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” 4 And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord ?” For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” The book of Judges ends in infamy. The tribe of Benjamin is utterly decimated by the civil war fought against them by the other tribes for the horrific events of Judges 19. On top of that, the people have sworn an oath to no longer intermarr...

The cowering lowly Moses who ran from the first sign of terror in his life has come storming back into Pharaoh's court and demanded the release of Egypt's most valuable commodity - the slave labor force of the Israelites. Exodus 5:1-3 (ESV) Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold ta feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” What changed Moses from the man we saw at the beginning of chapter three to this man standing before the most powerful man in the world and speaking with such authority? He met with God. Look at Verse 3: ...