The Lord, The Judge (Feb 10)
Gideon’s son Abimelech has such
strong aspirations for his father’s
position that he attempts to murder
all his brothers. His rash actions
are a prelude to three stormy years
in power – a reign cut short by a
divinely guided millstone. By contrast
Jephthah, the illegitimate son of
a harlot, zealously leads Israel
in the ways of God – though his
zeal also gets him into trouble.
Hallowed be Jehovah Hashopet:
Jephthah sent messengers
to the king of Ammon saying:
What do you have against me
that you have come to fight?
I have not wronged you but you
are doing me wrong by waging
war against me. Let the Lord,
the Judge (Jehovah Hashopet),
decide the disputes this day
between the Israelites and the
Ammonites (Judges 11:12, 27).
Lord Jehovah Hashopet, praise You
for being a righteous God, offended
by evil and devoted to justice.
Praise You for Your heart of justice,
which is also faithful to Your truth.
Sometimes people rise up against
me when I’ve not wronged them.
Grant me self-control in speech and
thank You Lord for defending me
when I’m unjustly opposed. Amen.
Lord Jehovah Hashipey, I confess
that when I am wronged, I don’t
always turn to You for Your justice.
Help me know the confidence I can
feel in Your execution of judgment.
You are able to render justice on my
behalf far better than I ever could.
Please forgive me when I forget
to call on You for Your judgments.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Lord Jehovah Hashopet, when an
enemy has wrongly risen against me,
I ask You to bring the truth to light.
Soften the person’s heart and
show them the error of their ways.
Whatever they bring against me,
I pray You will turn it back to them
so that it may lead them to repent.
I ask for peace with the person and
pray You bring about peace swiftly.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.