Category Archives: Scripture

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”

The last five chapters of the book of Judges can be summed up by this verse. The purpose of judges were to help the people follow God. Like the priests, Levites, and prophets, judges were to know the Law and help point the people to God. We often think of judges as warriors as many of them are known for leading people into battle, but this was not their sole purpose. Think of Deborah. She was a prophetess and judge who sent Barak into battle. The reason she was a “warrior” was because Barak would not go without her.

The Bible is graphic and horrific. Much of what is included in it would not be suitable for children to watch on TV and yet we want to teach it to our children. Just because something is graphic or horrific does not mean it is bad or evil, but it does mean we need to use discernment and read with a careful understanding.

Israel was supposed to be a people of remembrance, one who passed their stories to the next generation. But just like many of us, they failed when it came to remembering the rules.
The tribes still have a lot of work to do. There are a number of nations still occupying the land. In order for the tribes to have full access to their allotted land, they must continue to drive out these nations.

The book of Judges begins after all twelve tribes have settled in their allotted land. Joshua is dead, leaving the Israelites without one, central leader like there was with Moses and Joshua.

The tribes still have a lot of work to do. There are a number of nations still occupying the land. In order for the tribes to have full access to their allotted land, they must continue to drive out these nations.

When I read the Bible, in particular the stories of Jesus in the Gospel, I read it through not only a twenty-first century lens, but also a post-cross lens with an ever growing understanding of Church history. So when I get to Mark 11 and the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders ask Jesus, “By what authority are you doing these things?” and “who gave you authority to do this?”(Mark 11:28), I want to scream at them, “Don’t you know He’s Jesus?” But that’s the thing, isn’t it. They didn’t know He was Jesus.

How long do you wait before ordering at a restaurant when your whole party isn’t there?

How long do you wait before eating cookies just taken out of the oven?

How long do you wait at a red light in a rural town when there are no other cars before just going?

And, how long do you wait before making a golden calf idol when you haven’t heard from God in a while?

Some of my favorite Jesus stories are the unusual healings. Similarly to yesterday’s reflection, when Jesus healed people, it happened in different ways. When the woman who had bled for twelve years was healed, the healing was without His knowledge and by the touching of His cloak. When the twelve year old girl was brought back to life, Jesus intentionally took her hand, and called her back. In today’s readings, Jesus heals in other ways.

The story of the woman who bled for twelve years has become one I have appreciated as I’ve aged. When I was 17 I was diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). While I have not bleed for twelve years, for much of my life I have experienced the opposite – going months without a period. I was put on different hormonal supplements at 17 to get my periods to be regular and tried different ones until I finally agreed to go on birth-control for my periods at 19. I experienced shame for my body not behaving in the ways it was designed to behave. I was ashamed that I was taking birth-control but not sexually active and felt like I had to defend myself to everyone.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very good at asking for help. Some of it has to do with not wanting to appear weak, but a large portion also has to do with not wanting to be a burden. Not wanting to be a burden to another person is probably my fatal flaw.