Be The Change

First, I want to ask a question:

What do you want to see changed?

Listen to these mind-blowing epiphanies:

The word Mercedes has the letter “e” pronounced in 3 ways (mer, ce, des)

The word “bed” is unique because it looks like a bed

If you know how to spell the works “socks” (s-o-c-k-s), you’re actually saying “It is what it is” in Spanish

The word homeowner, has the word meow in it, there’s something there

Slang is actually slang, for short language

Your stomach thinks all potatoes are mashed potatoes

It’s weird that in order to fall asleep, you need to pretend you’re asleep. Fake it till you make it, right.

Just like some of those silly epiphanies, they make you go “huh!” There’s stuff in the Bible that we often overlook.

read it too fast

Gloss over while reading it

Don’t take the time to think about what we read

I know I tend to get in the habit of reading my bible. It sounds great, but I go through seasons where it’s just a part of my routine. I open it up, read a chapter or 2, and put it down. I don’t actually pay attention to what I’m reading, I’m just doing it because it’s what you do.

It doesn’t collect dust sitting on the shelf, but just because there’s no dust on the cover, doesn’t mean I’m actually getting the full life available in the words. The bible is more than just words on a page. It’s more than just a history book.

I want to talk about the second judge, Ehud.

Story takes a total of 19 verses in the 3 chapter of Judges.

Let’s read his story:

First some backstory:

Judges 3:12 and Judges 3:14

Judges 3:15

Judges 3:16–18

Judges 3:19–20

Judges goes on to tell us that as the king stood up from his throne, Ehud grabbed the sword and plunged it into Eglon’s stomach. Eglon was so large that the sword sunk in and disappeared.

If you’re like me, whenever I come across a crazy story like this, I try to picture it in my minds’ eye.

I’m not the most creative person so I often turn to the internet to help me visualize these stories.

While looking through, I found these old drawings of what this would look like…

b/w photo of Ehud

Color photo of Ehud

Then I kept searching and I came across this one. It really

helped me contextualize it in today’s culture….

Star wars scene

Judges 3:26–28, 30

What do you want to see changed?

What are you going to do about it?

Everybody wants change

But nobody wants TO BE change

Ehud saw that something needed to change.

Most likely wasn’t his first trip taking tribute to King Eglon, tribute was generally delivered annually

He gets there, delivers the tribute into the storehouses, probably didn’t see the actual king very much, but knew the guards and servants and would chat with them.

Would send the rest of his team on back early so he could finish convos and head back at his own pace.

On his way back, something triggers him to become the assassin judge. Fires up his passion to see God’s chosen people restored to God’s plan. What was it?

Gilgal.

11 miles away, literally uphill both ways, almost a 4 hour trip by foot one-way

Switching gears here a bit, stay with me

At the carved images near Gilgal he returned Judges 3:19

Same area mentioned on his return after the assassination

He passed the Jordan near the carved images Judges 3:26

What is this?

Is it simply that he passed some neighborhood and decided to turn around there?

self-conscious times, running outside and having to turn around.

feel like the people in the house are watching me and thinking, “oh wow, he only made it here, what a loser!”

remedied it by finding the longest country road I could find with no house for quite a distance, and would run there.

Was it simply this? Or is there more to it?

Gilgal had significance to him, not just him, but the whole country of Israel. This was a region that everyone knew about and that parents would tell stories about to their kids.

Both times it states that he saw or passed the carved images.

Let’s take a look at the establishing of Gilgal.

Joshua 4:20–22

Joshua 4:23-24

So that’s when Gilgal was established. A place to remind Joshua’s and especially future generations about God’s power, goodness, and faithfulness

So what does Gilgal actually mean?

Joshua 5:9

I like to think the convo went like this.

God: Joshua, take 12 stones, build an altar to remind my people of my power and faithfulness to them.

Joshua: Ok, will do. What should I call this place?

God: Let’s call it Gilgal. *chuckles to himself* - yeah, Gilgal

Joshua: um…..ok, Gilgal it is. What’s so funny about that?

God: LOL Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell you when you’re older.

God knew the Israelites would have hard times in the future.

Hard times and difficulties in future are no surprise.

BECAUSE of this, Joshua established stones of remembrance in Gilgal, and named the place as such because God wanted to make sure future generations had something to look back on.

Ehud grew up hearing stories about Gilgal and God parting the Jordan, Red Sea, freeing the Israelites from Egypt, manna from heaven, water from a rock, fighting giants, Ehud heard all these stories.

He also walked by Gilgal probably on a regular basis. He had heard the stories and he’d seen the location, but this time it clicked. This time it triggered him to DO something about the change the Israelites had wanted for so long. They had prayed and cried out to God, now it was time for action.

Rapper NF has been really big lately, he’s been at the top of the charts and even topped out at #1 on the global charts, cool thing, he’s a Christian but makes such killer music that he’s beating out “non-Christian artists. Paraphrasing his song “Oh Lord” he says this:

“It's easy to blame God but harder to fix things

We look in the sky like, "why aren’t You listening?"

Watching the news in our living rooms on the big screens

And thinking, ”if God's really real, then where is He?"

Do we get how this is funny, everyone will sleep in the pews

Then blame God for our problems like He sleeping on us

We turn our backs on Him, what do we expect Him to do?

Let’s go back to the questions:

What do you want to see changed?

What are you going to do about it today?

What are you putting in place to call future generations to the same purpose?

if we aren’t willing to put something in place for future generations, then future generations are going to have to figure it out on their own.

If we look at millennials and gen x, y, and z and just shake our heads, the blame is just as much on us for not establishing stones of remembrance to call them to be better.

if we can’t set the example in grace, truth, and loveIf we aren’t calling our respective generations to task and banding together to build stones of remembrance for the upcoming generationsIf we’re not willing to serve in lil lift, lift kids, converge, emerge or something like that where you’re pouring into the upcoming generations,if we can’t do that, then we have no right to complain.

We are called to be image bearers of Christ, and everywhere we go, we are to impart into that area what being little-Christs means. And if like the Israelites, all we’re going to do is pray about it and complain, when God has called us to ACTION, then God’s going to use someone else.