Welcome to Day 7 of Our Bible Study.
Key Scriptures: Judges 11, Exodus 2 and 3
Devotional Insight: Can childhood frustrations we suffered lead to broken adult lives? In today’s discussion, we examine the lives of Jephthah and Moses and consider their youth.
Are you wearing the “Angry Kid Badge”?
Journal Prompt
Are you struggling with the childhood label?
How have you let your internal anger control your decisions?
As a teacher, I have seen the impact of family care, trauma, divorce, failed parenting, parental absence due to divorce, sickness, or loss, or trauma of any kind in the lives of growing children. Differences in attitudes are visible. Self-confidence, bullying, student academic life, social interactions are a few ways we can spot these variances in class or group settings.
Children take these experiences all in. The feelings and frustrations they experience manifest themselves in multiple ways. Sarcastic tones and comments, bullying other kids, general rebellious attitudes, disinterest in group activities…unhealthy behaviour of some sort.
Journal Prompt
Have you experienced rejection in some way in the home child-care system, failed parenting, and unexpected loss, or fathered out of wedlock, what’s your story? Raped and dumped?
Have you drunk deep from the healing steam?
Are you walking in forgiveness?
Have you allowed God’s love drown your internal aggression?
Oh girl you are in a safe place in Christ. He never rejects His own.
You are God’s own. You are no throwaway.
Regardless of how you were born, God has a purpose for you.
As we read through the birth history of Jephthah.
A young man, born out of wedlock, worse still born of a harlot- a foundation of dishonor.
What a label for a child to wear all his life- a foundation of identity crisis.
He was disinherited- stripped of his rightful possession.
He was rejected- no sense belonging no community
He was chased away- hatred and rejection.
If people can make a label out of you, then they can strip you off what is rightfully yours.
He became an acquaintance to “vain men”.
Word Study
Do a quick study of the word “vain”. What does this mean? Write the synonyms.
Sometimes, circumstances we find ourselves draw certain kind of people into our lives. We attract what we are feeling on the inside. Remember David and the men drawn to him while on the run from Saul?
It doesn’t matter if people think you aren’t good enough or fit to be in their midst, God has a word for you here… if he good turn Jephthah’s rejection to a place of honour and leadership, he could turn yours too. In that place where he suffered rejection, Jephthah would have a chance to bargain and fight for a place of leadership.
He agrees to lead his brothers who once rejected him to fight the Ammonites.
We gain a little more insight to the hurt he still holds “did you not hate me”. He didn’t want to get used by the
Every rejected stone has a calling, a purpose and a precious value.
Journal Prompt
What childhood struggles have you let linger?
What issues do you need to address?
Do you still feel angered by your childhood?
Again, attitudes we let linger may become stumbling blocks in the future. You and I should be intentional in dealing with personal struggles especially vestiges from our past.
But suddenly this good tale goes south. Jephthah’s heavy vow in the presence of God would cost him his only daughter. Bible never adds a point if it isn’t relevant. The words we utter in God’s presence matters.
Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2
We should never rush into a matter no matter how desperate it seems.
God expects us to work on our character, and weigh our choices carefully. As we discussed on Cain some days ago, God wants us to be open to learning and eager to receive correction.
For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives Hebrews 12:6
It is up to us to work on our attitude as we journey along. Taking up godly traits and dropping those traits not profitable for our Christian living We should not allow whatever happened in the past, the people, the exposure and the experience negatively affect our attitudes.
Jephthah’s rashness would affect his daughter. People we love suffer from our irrational decisions.
Journal Prompt
Are rash words easily spoken from an angry heart?
Has hastiness ever landed you in troubled waters? What did you do?
More study verses: James 1:19-20, Proverbs 14:17, Proverbs 19:19, Ecclesiaites 7:9, Proverbs 16:32
A close study at the life Moses reveals a young man internally burning at the oppression of his people.
Oppression is an age-long vice some people use to enslave those they supposedly want to control. In today’s world oppression can be in the form of racism, slavery and bondage of any sort, ethnic, sectarian or religious wars. Moses couldn’t stand that being born of a particular tribe, Israelite, automatically made you a target and a slave.
He fought the Egyptian officer, killed him and buried him while he thought no one was watching. But God was. Exodus 2:11-15
Journal Prompt
How is God able to work in and with Moses despite his flaws? Exodus 3
How is Moses able to overcome his past mistake and poor judgment?
Even in our mess, God sees our hearts still. He knew the anger and aggression Moses battled with living as a Jew in the palace of the Pharaoh. When we poorly regard ourselves, as Moses did, God still sees the goodness he has placed in us.
One would think leading the people out of Egypt would tame the raging nature in the Prophet. Here again, we see another blow out as he descended the mountain carrying the two tablets God inscribed by his own hand. Exodus 32:15-19.
Moses smashes them thoughtlessly. The scene of the calved idol upset him.
Anger leads to rash and regrettable decisions. Proverbs 27:4
The anger we don’t manage at the beginning can be our undoing later.
We cannot hide our real persons from God. Moses got angry and called God’s people name and struck the rock.
Pause for a bit. Moses took their disobedience personal. Yes, it was ok to be angry at the sin they had done. But his reaction was not quite right. He got angry for God. He took the place of a judge. If he could, perhaps he would deal with them himself. And in the end, Moses only saw the promised land but never entered into it. Numbers 20:9-12
This angry kid still had the fiery temper well hidden in plain sight.
Bad attitudes we don’t work on, can be the barrier to entering our God ordained place.
That anger began years before the call of Moses .
That anger cost Moses his assignment.
That anger got Moses replaced as the leader.
That anger made Moses disobey the Lord who called him.
Journal Prompt
How terrible is unholy anger?
But how long can we play with untamed emotions we don’t bring under control of the Holy Spirit?
Do you break things when you are angry?
Do you hurl out negative words in the feat of Anger?
This is a call to invite the Holy Spirit into your life. None of us is without fault. If these might men had a tough time, what shall we do but to learn from their examples.
Words of Affirmation.
I let the Holy Spirit control my emotions.
I surrender my heart, my thoughts, my emotions to the leadership of the Holy Spirit
I am a Spirit led sister
Action Plan.
Identify those places names, situations that bring back nbegative memories for you.
Daily submissions in place of prayer can help a great deal.
To fulfil purpose we need to root out every source of anger especially from the past that hinders joyful living today.
Prayer.
Father, thank you for exposing the root of anger in my life. Break the hold of childhood anger lingering in my soul. Set me free from the bondage of anger. Oh Lord I want to be free from cruel ungodly anger. Father, I surrender my life to you this day. I surrender my emotions.
I forgive my past as the blood of Jesus holds no record of past sins and mistake. Oh lord I forgive all those that have hurt me and left scars. Lord, turn these ashes in to beautiful God-honouring vessel for your glory in Jesus name. Amen
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