In a Land with No King
We are entering into a brand new series in the strange, dark, and violent world of the Book of Judges. Why does the Old Testament feel so different from the New Testament and Jesus? Is this just history, or are there actually lessons for us today, Christians and non-Christians, in 21st-century Ottawa in these stories?
Reflection-
What does it mean for Jesus to be King of your life? How should your life look different if Jesus is King? Where are you following the culture/what’s right in your own eyes rather than Jesus?
Further Up, Further In-
Read through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) every day to see the fullness of God’s moral vision for your life and pray for the indwelling Holy Spirit to fill you and give you everything you need to live it out in a morally and spiritually decaying culture.
Additional resources-
Books
Christopher Wright, “The God I Don’t Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith”Paul Copan, “Is God a Moral Monster: Making Sense of the Old Testament God”
Josh Butler, “The Skeletons in God’s Closet: The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgment, the Hope of Holy War”
Articles
Is God OK with Genocide?
Video
Sandra Richter, Does the OT Dehumanize Women? Her talk at Exiles, or her interview with Preston Sprinkle