DEBORAH AND JAEL: TWO WOMEN WIN A WAR

TWO WOMEN WIN A WAR

 (Judges 4-5)

The Israelites were held as slaves,

In Canaan for 20 years.

But once they turned back to God,

He took away all their fears.

Jabin was Canaan’s king.

Sisera was the army commander.

They planned to attack the Israelites,

And their army was so much grander.

With 900 chariots of iron,

Jabin's army was widely reknown.

Though Sisera had the means and might,

A woman would pin him down.

Deborah was a prophetess;

She was also judge number four.

She judged under a palm tree,

Until she went to war.

God had instructed Barak,

To deploy 10,000 men,

But Barak was in no hurry;

After all, God didn’t say when.

So Deborah had to remind him,

To battle the multitude.

But Barak was a bit of a coward;

He lacked the fortitude.

He said that he would go,

If Deborah would go with him,

But if she did not go,

He wouldn’t war against them.

Deborah agreed to go with him,

Tho’ she warned him he’d get no glory.

So off they went to war,

And then there’s a twist to the story.

While facing Sisera’s army,

As they waited on Mt. Tabor,

Deborah said to Barak,

“Up, for you’ve won this war.”

 Down the mount Barak went,

Along with 10,000 men.

900 chariots faced them,

His courage had returned again.

But all of those fancy chariots,

Were exactly where God wanted them.

For they were stuck in the mud,

In conditions caused by Him.

Sisera fled his chariot,

He ran to the tent of a friend.

The rest of his army was killed,

And he would soon meet his end.

For the friend was not in the tent.

Just the friend’s wife was there.

She pretended to be hospitable,

But he was caught in her snare.

She waited until he fell asleep,

Then the act she performed was simple:

She took a stake and a hammer,

And drove the stake through his temple.

Her job was to set up tents,

So she had plenty of practice.

The stake went into the ground,

And the Israelites got their justice.

A woman indeed got the glory,

Surely Deborah stole Barak’s thunder,

But Jael could also claim credit,

For her tent-peg killed the commander.

Becky Wall

But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Judges 4:21 (Jael held her ground.)

MOSES AND THE BURNING BUSH: I AM/AM I

I AM/Am I

(Based on Exodus 3)

"Am" is just two letters,

That means to continue to be.
It's a word that holds such meaning.
Add a word or two and you'll see.

To Moses God called out;

In a burning bush was He.

Moses replied, “Here I am,”

As if the bush couldn’t see.

“I am the God of your father,

And the God of Abraham,

The God of Isaac and Jacob;

Sad for their children I am.”

“I am sending you to Egypt,

To set my people free.”

Moses replied, “Who am I?

They’ll never listen to me!”

“I will be with you,” God answered.

But Moses questioned his task.

“If I say, ‘My God has sent me to you,’

‘What is His name,’ they will ask.”

“I AM who I AM,” said God.

“Say, ‘I AM has sent me to you.

He gave your ancestors life;

And He is your father, too.”

Moses made another excuse:

“Of speech and tongue I am slow.”

“Who gave man his mouth,” God said.

“It was I; I will help you—just GO!”

But Moses begged, “Send someone else.”

By then God’s anger was flarin’.

Moses may as well have said,

“Here am I; send my brother, Aaron.”

“Who am I?” many chosen ones ask.

“I am no one, can’t you see?”

But servants who are most faithful,

Say, “Here am I, send me.”

If the great I AM calls you,

To serve Him faithfully,

Though afraid and unsure of yourself,

What will your answer be?

Becky Wall

I AM:

the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

the Light of the World (John 8:22-24

from above...not of this world (John 8:22-24

before Abraham was born (John 8:57-59

the gate for the sheep (John 10:7)

the Good Shepherd (John 10:10-12)

the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

God's Son (John 10:36, John 3:16)

Teacher and Lord (John 13:13)

the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)

in the Father and you are in me and I am in you (John 4:20)

"... before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:58

EZEKIEL: AN ARMY RAISED FROM DRY BONES

AN ARMY RAISED FROM DRY BONES

(Ezekiel 37)

The prophet Ezekiel went to a valley,

Where he had once seen God’s glory,

But this time he would witness,

What is known as an allegory.

The valley was full of dry bones,

From an army slain in battle.

Though hope was lost for their return,

Their bones began to rattle.

The Lord told Ezekiel what to say,

To the bones in complete disarray.

Ezekiel promised their bones would be covered,

And be restored right away.

Flesh and tendons then covered their bones,

Then God breathed His Spirit on them.

Hope returned; they were raised from their graves,

Where for years they lay limb from limb.

God was teaching a lesson

To a spiritually dead Hebrew nation.

Though spiritually lifeless and cut off from God,

There was hope for transformation.

May this story teach each one of us,

Who from sin have not survived.

Whether a person or a nation,

There is hope we can be revived.

Becky L. Wall

TEMPTATIONS AND TRIALS

TEMPTATIONS AND TRIALS

(James)

Temptations and trials may plague you,

But consider it a pleasure.

Perseverance will result;

It will lead to strength without measure.

Perseverance must finish its work,

To be mature and complete,

So you are not lacking anything,

Sometimes that is quite a feat.

Pray to God for wisdom,

When you are feeling dumb.

If you will study your Bible;

No doubt He will give you some.

But when you ask, you must believe,

Without a shadow of a doubt.

Or you will be like a wave on the sea,

Blown and tossed about.

The doubting man gets nothing;

In all he does, he’s unstable.

The man is double-minded,

He treats God like He’s not able.

But the man who perseveres under trial,

Because he has stood the test,

Will receive the crown of life.

That reward should be his quest.

Be strong when trials come.

They change, but they don’t subside.

Temptation and troubles are here to stay;

Just hang on for the ride.

Becky Wall

Proverbs 2:1-11
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

Proverbs 2:12-19

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.

If you really want to conquer temptations and remain strong through trials, read Proverbs, Chapters 1 and 2 -- the whole chapters. It's a quick read and full of wisdom, better than any therapist.

ADAM & EVE: THE FIRST SIN BROUGHT TO FRUITION

THE FIRST SIN BROUGHT TO FRUITION

(Genesis 2)

Adam and Eve, the first man and woman,

Lived in the Garden of Eden.

They could eat the fruit of any tree,

But the one in the middle was forbidden.

Adam and Eve were both naked,

And yet they felt no shame.

Sin had not yet entered the world,

Until the devil came.

 As a serpent he was the craftiest,

Of all the creatures God made.

He could walk and he could talk,

And with a forked tongue persuade.

 He asked the woman if God really said,

Not to eat from any tree.

Knowing the answer, this was part of his plan;

To keep man from being sin-free.

 “The fruit of the trees we may eat,” said Eve.

“But one we must deny.

If we touch or eat from the tree in the middle,

We will surely die.”

 After laying the groundwork of his plan,

The serpent told her a lie.

The sneaky snake told the woman,

"You will not surely die.”

 “God knows that when you eat of it,

Your eyes will be opened, and so,

You will be like God;

Good and evil you will know.”

 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree,

Was good and pleasing to the eye,

Plus desirable for gaining wisdom,

She ate it and swallowed the lie.

 She then gave some to her husband,

And to their total surprise,

They realized they were naked;

Now seeing through different eyes.

So they sewed fig leaves together,

And covered their bodies with them.

They heard God walking in the garden,

So they hid in the trees from Him.

The LORD called out, "Where are you?"

Of course He knew what they did.

Adam said, "I heard you in the garden,

And because I was naked, I hid."

 "Who told you that you were naked? God said.

Have you eaten from the forbidden tree?"

"The woman that you put here,” said Adam

“Gave the fruit to me."

 Then the LORD God said to the woman,

"What is this you have done?"

She said, "The serpent deceived me;”

With her first bite, sin had begun.

 So the LORD God told the serpent,

"You are cursed above all animals!

On your belly you will crawl and eat dust,”

Forever dominated by mammals.

 “Malice will be b’tween you and the woman,

Between your offspring and hers;

He will crush your head and you will strike His heel.”

To Jesus His comment refers.

 To the woman The Lord God said,

"With much pain you will give birth.

Your desire will be for your husband,

And he’ll rule over you" here on earth.

“Since you listened to your wife,” He told Adam,

“And ate from the forbidden tree,

Cursed is the ground because of you;

From toil you will never be free.”

.

“The ground will now produce thorns and thistles,

And you’ll eat the plants nearby.

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food,

Until the day you die.”

“From the dust of the ground you were taken;

And again to dust you’ll return."

That’s when death entered the world,

And things took a drastic turn.

Adam named his wife Eve,

Which means “The mother of mankind.”

Animals were killed for their garments of skin;

Sin and death are now intertwined.

 And God said, "Man is like one of us,

Knowing good and evil, so never,

Never must he take from the tree of life,

And eat, and live forever."

 God drove the man from Eden,

And placed on the Garden’s east side,

An angel with a flaming and flashing sword,

To ensure this tree was denied.

 Satan tickles the ears,

And exposes the eyes to temptation.

When desire gives way to action,

Sin comes to fruition.

Becky Wall

JESUS BETRAYED BY A FRIEND: KISS OF JUDAS, KISS OF DEATH

KISS OF JUDAS, KISS OF DEATH

God had devised a Master plan,

And the end was about to start.

His Son He sent to earth to die,

And Judas would play a part.

Treasurer to the twelve,

Is the position he was given

When Christ gave Judas this task, He knew,

By money he was driven.

His love for money filled his heart,

And every time he stole,

Satan would get a piece of him,

‘Til he finally had his soul.

For Satan also had a plan,

In which Jesus would have to die.

To bring his plan to fruition,

On Judas he would rely.

Thirty pieces of silver were offered,

To Judas, whose heart was cold.

By this friend, His chosen disciple,

The Son of God was sold.

The twelve were having supper,

With Jesus, it would be their last.

Christ broke the bread and poured the wine,

Then to each the communion was passed.

“Someone here will betray me,”

Said Jesus to them that day.

“Is it I,” “Is it I,” the disciples asked.

Judas then ran away.

Judas was God’s instrument,

But he still had a choice,

Though he was called to learn from Christ,

He chose to ignore His voice.

Jesus went to the garden,

With three of his friends to pray.

But guess who came with soldiers,

And gave his location away.

“Which is Jesus,” the soldiers asked,

“I’ll kiss him,” Judas said.

And so the kiss of Judas,

Became the kiss of death.

Jesus was whipped and spat upon,

They treated Him like dung.

He was forced to carry a cross up a hill,

And on it He was hung.

The devil was done with Judas.

And Judas was filled with strife.

He came to his senses, then was so distraught,

He chose to end his life.

Jesus also died,

And so the story goes,

Though he was placed in a borrowed grave,

On the third day he arose.

“The fall” of Adam and Eve,

And every person in every nation,

Was by Christ’s death forgiven;

His death brought us salvation.

Satan’s little plan was foiled.

It is now clearly understood,

What Judas meant for evil,

God meant for the good.

Becky Wall

LIKELY STORIES ON JUDGMENT DAY

LIKELY STORIES ON JUDGMENT DAY

When an angel heralds, “Here comes the Judge!”

What will be your plea?

Will you bargain to get your sentence reduced,

To sin in the second degree?

Will you say you couldn’t help yourself,

From uncontrollable advances,

Or your parents made you what you are;

You’re a victim of circumstances?

Will you put on a humble face,

And pretend sincerity,

In a roundabout way blame others,

Or claim insanity?

You can plead The Fifth if you want;

Better to admit you blew it.

Never, ever use the defense,

“The devil made me do it.”

You can use in your final arguments,

“There was sin, but I didn’t do it.”

It will never help your case to insist,

“That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.”

A sentence of hell will not be reduced,

It won’t help to cry and wail.

Don’t bother to call a bondsman,

For you won’t get out on bail.

Beg now for mercy and pardon;

From Jesus, who came to save.

He died in your place, by proxy;

Your sins will be sent to His grave.

Becky Overturf Wall

This is just a play on words. In all seriousness, we are saved by grace and Jesus forgives sin when we ask and when we turn from those sins. But there are those who thumb their noses at God and rely on his love and mercy to get them to heaven regardless of the condition of their heart or whether or not they have a relationship with the Lord.

3-PART STORY OF SAMSON: THE RIDDLER, FOXFIRE & SAMSON BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE

THREE PART STORY OF SAMSON

Part 1: The Riddler

(Judges 14:10 - 15:2)

Samson was set apart by God,

To be a Nazarite.

He was never to cut his hair,

For in it was his might.

From among the Philistine people,

Samson took a wife.

A string of events were set in motion,

That would one day end his life.

It started with fun at the wedding,

With a riddle he would amuse.

The prize was 30 pairs of clothes,

And no one wanted to lose.

When the answer escaped the Philistines,

They sought out Samson’s wife.

They told her she must help them,

Or she would lose her life.

She cried to her husband for several days,

And when told how the riddle was solved,

She promptly told the Philistines,

Then the worst of events evolved.

God’s Spirit came over Samson,

Who killed thirty of their men.

He took their clothes and paid his debt,

But, oh, what would happen then.

The tit for tat continued,

To another his wife was given.

When Samson went to see her,

With his best man she was livin’.

Part 2: Foxfire

(Judges 15:3 - 20)

Samson gathered 300 foxes,

In pairs their tails were tied.

When lit, they became torches,

In the crops they ran far and wide.

The fire burned through the vineyards,

Through olive groves it spread.

When the enemy got their own revenge,

Samson’s wife and her father were dead.

Samson retaliated,

And many more he slayed.

Then he returned to Judah,

Where in a cave he stayed.

The Philistines went to Judah,

To seek the strong man out.

The townspeople were afraid,

They feared what would come about.

And so they chastised Samson,

For causing them such fear.

They tied him with new ropes,

Which he broke as his foes came near.

The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson,

And he grabbed a donkey’s jawbone.

He used it to slay a thousand men;

After that he was left alone.

But there is more to the story;

His actions would not be forgotten.

Another woman would catch his eye,

And her intentions were rotten.

Part 3: Samson Brought Down the House

(Based on Judges 15:21 - 16:31)

Samson led Israel 20 years,

Though still the Philistines reigned.

God’s plan would then unfurl;

It’s why Samson was ordained.

It began with a dame named Delilah,

Who was but a beautiful witch.

If she could learn where he got his strength,

The Philistines would make her rich.

She tested three answers Samson gave,

After he fell asleep in the room.

She tied him with leather and next new ropes,

Then wove his braids on a loom.

But Samson grew tired of her nagging,

It was more than he could bear,

So he finally disclosed the truth to her:

His strength was in his hair.

She ran and told the Philistines.

While he slept, they shaved Samson bald.

That was when God left him.

After that, Samson was mauled.

They put him in bronze shackles,

And they gouged out both of his eyes,

They made him grind in prison.

A loose tongue is never wise.

Soon his hair began to grow,

Though not as long as before.

Samson prayed, “Oh Sovereign God,

Strengthen me once more.”

A party was held at the temple,

To offer a sacrifice.

The god they served was Dagon,

Whose worshipers would pay a price.

Samson stood by two pillars;

The pillars held up the temple.

He was brought there to entertain,

And the act he chose was simple.

He pushed the pillars with all his might,

He had everyone’s attention.

And when the temple collapsed,

There was a permanent intermission.

Leaders and important people all died —

Three thousand who made God frown.

When Samson entertained them,

One could say he brought the house down.

Becky Wall