Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good morning, dear special people.
No walk/jog this morning. Too late. Too much to squeeze into the remaining morning.
There are difficulties in the Biblical text that I just don’t have time to deal with in written form. This Samson character is certainly that—a character. I’ll probably deal more with him tomorrow. Lord, help us to get the dots of the story line connected to the correct principles of living to please You!
I need to get out and finish up a sawmilling project…as the guy is coming today to pick up his wood.
Blessings on your day.
Love, Dad/Ray.
Wonderful! Isn’t this just great! More civil war in the land of promise!—within the same tribe! Here we are, trying to be devotional, yet all we seem to get here is a lot more unfolding STUPID! I am now inclined to believe that prejudices bearing attitudes of superiority or inferiority are just that—STUPID—because they are divisive, destructive, and unnecessary! STUPID is continually added to STUPID by the recorded evidence that these people never seem to learn just how STUPID it is! But then, what would we expect from people who fail to nurture and embrace the only viable alternative to the NATURAL SIN NATURE (default setting)?—a HEART AFTER GOD.
I’m remembering an amusing circumstance I encountered in the Western Solomon Islands years ago. I had an Australian friend with me in our boat and had occasion to call in at a village on the shore of Kolombangara (not far from J. F. Kennedy’s “PT 109” story) where another friend from New Zealand resided, having married a local lady. When I introduced these two fellows, their behavior that followed took me by surprise. The “Kiwi” made a demeaning remark to the “Aussie” that was laden with negative prejudice in regards to their national background—and these guys really went at it. No blows were landed—but the verbiage was just about as violent.
The hot-heads from the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) came to Gilead to attack Jephthah following his spectacular successful military campaign against the Ammonites. Why? It was prejudice at its core. Reading between the lines of the FOCUS VERSE could go like this: “You bastard ‘son of a prostitute’ (11:1)! What right do you have to win such a victory over the enemies of Israel without us?! After all, we are the superior legitimate members of our family line! Not you! Yet you didn’t even allow us to get the honor for this victory that we deserve!” I hope I’m not over-using this word “STUPID”, but can anyone honestly tell me this is NOT STUPID? Indeed, STUPID thinking leads to STUPID behavior which leads to STUPID results—“Forty-two thousand Ephaimites were killed at that time” (12:6). Did you get that number?—42,000 human lives!—all because of STUPID.
My Bible-based definition for STUPID: The wrong use of human life and intelligence that, for whatever reason, resists the option (that is non-optional to being right before Him Who matters) of a HEART AFTER GOD.