Category: Prose

Short prose

The Craft of Tyranny—Six Sentence Story

To Gideon’s credit after the Lord’s victory over the Midianite raiders he had no desire to lord it over the Israelites as king. To his discredit he did take some of the gold plundered from the Midianites which helped him attract enough women to sire seventy sons. 

Although no Baal could get its hands on him, Gideon’s own greed set his family up for a fall after his death when one of his many sons, Abimelech, a bloodthirsty Nimrod wannabe, decided to craft for himself a kingdom. Abimelech made sure there was no resistance from Gideon’s other sons by slaying all of them at Ophrah except for Jotham, the youngest, who escaped to curse him from Mount Gerizim.

Abimelech’s adventures evolved shamefully until a woman fleeing into the tower at Thebez dropped a piece of millstone upon his head as he tried to burn to death those in the tower. His armorbearer, at his own command, killed him so no one could say that a woman brought about his death, but we all know what happened.

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Denise offers the prompt word “craft” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Judges 9:53-54
53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

The map below centered on Abimelech’s mother’s home, Shechem, comes from the BibleMapper Blog. Ophrah where Abimelech slayed his brothers is northwest of Beth-shan just off this map. Abimelech died at Thebez after making a mess at Shechem.

Promise—Ovi Poetry Challenge

The Shepherd’s voice, the sheep all know.
The goats aren’t sure which way to go.
The tares are bundled quickly so
the harvest can begin.

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Ronovan Hestor offers the inspiration “promises” for this week’s Ovi Poetry Challenge. Also posted on Poet’s Corner.

John 10:27
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Matthew 13:24-30
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Oil, vinegar and spices in a small dish for dipping bread

Access—Six Sentence Story

The rebellion against the Midianites began when Gideon ignited the dry Asherah pole to burn the sacrifice to the Lord. The wind blew across the Israelites with the strength of a Holy Spirit revival. 

As a result Gideon gained access to a force of 32,000 men to battle the 135,000 Midianites camped in the valley below. The Midianites watched the incoming storm of Gideon’s army build up against them to the point of having nightmares that the pickings this year would come at the cost of their own lives.

On the Israelite side the Lord wanted to make sure they did not think of Him as some two-bit Baal who relied solely on their natural strengths to get things done. He told Gideon to reduce his forces to 10,000 men and then to 300 which meant at that level only the Lord could win this battle.

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Denise offers the prompt word “access” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

To find out what really happened, see Judges 6-7.

Incoming Storm

Kick—Six Sentence Story

After the service Steve approached the ministers. He told them he wanted to see people the way the Lord saw them. No one would be worth redeeming, including himself, if the Lord saw people as irreparably damaged and grave-bound as he saw them.

They prayed for him, but his head would not acknowledge even the slightest kick of sympathy toward anyone.

It took time for Steve to receive the blessing he sought. When he did the dam of darkness exploded through the love of God.

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Denise offers the prompt word “kick” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

“I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.” Henry Ward (found on worship leader Toni Bogart Syvrud’s contact card)

Either Stand in the Gap or Take the Mark of the Beast

Ezekiel 22:30
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Revelation 13:16-17
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

When I woke up this morning the dots were connected between these verses. If I’ve got this wrong let me know in the comments.

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Those with the mark of the beast show their support of the beast when they speak or through the things they do, because through their words or actions their support is visible to all just as if it were written on their foreheads or on their outstretched right hands. Those who stand in the gap refuse through their words and actions (indeed, even their unspoken thoughts) to be an advertisement for the beast.

We have a choice: either stand in the gap or take the mark.

Although this has been going on for thousands of years, it is hard to avoid today in the market place of ideas and in the physical things we buy and sell.

We can still repent and change sides. That mark is not a permanent tattoo. Although it is visible to all, it may be difficult to discern just what one is advertising and what one needs to repent of. If anyone is in doubt about what is true, remember what Jesus said and ask the Holy Spirit for help.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

When we make sure we are standing in the gap,
we have rejected the mark. 
When we reject the mark,
we become an offense which puts us in the gap.

Moonrise Over the Sea of Galilee

Blessings to you!

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Also posted on Substack.

Stock—Six Sentence Story

Many Israelites, including Gideon’s own father, Joash, built an altar to the Canaanite sun god, Baal, near which they erected a wooden pole to the fertility goddess, Asherah. Gideon’s assignment was to destroy the altar his father built replacing it with an altar to the Lord upon which he would sacrifice the bull from his family’s stock of cattle that was as old as the seven-year Midianite oppression which the Baal couldn’t stop using the Asherah pole as dry firewood.

The next morning the men of the city were horrified to see what Gideon had done. They demanded that Joash bring Gideon to them so they could kill him for desecrating Baal’s hiding place. Abandoning his own idolatry to the point of rebelling against it, Joash told them to let that incompetent Baal avenge itself.

And that’s how Gideon became known as Jerubbaal, the man on whom Baal would have to take revenge all by its lonesome (which it could never have done).

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Denise offers the prompt work “stock” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

To read what really happened to Gideon (Jerubbaal), see Judges 6. In trying to make sense of the significance of what Gideon had done I was particularly influenced by the commentaries BibleHub offered and the Got Questions article on Baal.

A Grove of Trees Silhouetted in the Sunset

A Remembrance, Three Recommendations and a Song

Remembrance

I just heard that Oneta Hayes, a blogger whom I have read for some years, passed away on January 4th. 

May the Lord bless the entire Hayes family and all of those who knew Oneta. Thank you, Jesus, for her faithfulness and love.

Three Recommendations

Jan writing in Mercy for the Day began the story, Book of Names, with the following:

Court documents were unsealed this week. Previously unpublished names were released. Trouble is. These people want to remain anonymous.

I wasn’t sure if I missed some political event which is likely since I don’t follow politics. Then I found out the story was going way beyond politics. The released names were those missing from the Book of Life.

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Pat Barrett’s book, Lives Forever Changed: My Spiritual Adventures With the Lord, recently became available from Barrett Publishing.

This is a book of Pat’s remembrances from 30 years of deliverance ministry written for those who would like to minister to people influenced by such darkness. It read like it could even be valuable for those suffering from such influences.

Pat told me that he was told that all we need do is get the hunger for the Lord out of our heads and into our hearts.

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Esperanza Dia (not her real name) published a memoir of faithfulness called Twisted Sisters of Bating Hollow: From Cult to Freedom: the Story of Hope. 

With names changed she tells her story of 28 years in an Anglican nunnery where manipulators gained power and took advantage of the women who gave their lives to God. This is a story of how she was set free and how she continued to love Jesus even after the experience.

She helps lead a worship service at the Upper Room in Fort Mill, SC, which we often attend on Saturday evenings.

Song

Finally, a song I heard this evening that reminds me of Oneta Hayes. 

Blessings to you this week.

Task—Six Sentence Story

The gifts had been collected over centuries from the time of the prophet Daniel. In obedience they waited for the star, a task they felt privileged to perform, knowing it could appear any night now. When it did they hastened toward Jerusalem to worship the King and deliver the gifts.

They regretted the attention, especially from Herod, that they drew to themselves in Jerusalem by asking for directions and so they left for home right after they found the Child. After they left at nightfall Joseph, awakened by a dream, quickly rose to take Mary with her Child to Egypt using the gifts the wise men left as means of support. 

The next morning Herod went into such a rage upon hearing from his spies that the wise men were not coming back that, instead of just one Child Whom they couldn’t find anymore, he had all of the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding area under the age of two killed.

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Denise offers the prompt word “task” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories. For what really happened see Matthew 2.

The Edge of a Pond

Jingle—Six Sentence Story

A woman walked up to Brian and told him, Sometimes all you’re asked to do is something small. Brian thought the message odd, but he heard a voice inside him say, Thank her. So, he thanked her.

After she walked away Brian wondered what just happened. 

Was the unexpected jingle of joy ringing inside him because he obeyed that inner voice and thanked her? How could something so insignificant as common courtesy have such a profound effect?

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Denise offers the prompt word “jingle” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Tiny Bird in a Leafless Tree

Challenge—Six Sentence Story

Thinking of himself as a miniscule speck on a miniscule planet lost in a non-miniscule universe challenged Brian’s mind. He hoped aliens from a galaxy far far away would come with their advanced technology to tell the world what life was all about. Only they could save him and the world he lived in.

Passing a church Brian heard people singing songs of joy because the Lord had come. He complained to the wind about deluded people who thought there was a God out there working miracles on their behalf.

At least that’s what he did until the miracle occurred which allows me to end this meaningless tale that was going nowhere as Brian suddenly stopped running his mouth and wept for joy.

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Denise offers the word “challenge” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

May the Lord bless you this Christmas season