Gardez La Recette (Keep the Recipe)

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.” Judges 3:9 (NKJV)

Greetings and Salutations from the InterContinential Hotel here in Montreal, Canada. I have already dug into the local cuisine at the #1 place in Old Montreal, Jardin-Nelson. Last night I had the Poutine à l’effiloché de canard confit, now that’s a really fancy way of saying I had French fries smothered in brown gravy and cheese curds with pulled duck. I’m kinda thinking the cheese curd was really mozzarella but it was really, really good (so was the French onion soup) and really, really filling so who cares at this point. However…

The irony of Poutine here is everyone makes it, even McDonalds takes a stab at it by adding their chicken nuggets to it and drizzling their buffalo wing flavored dipping sauce over the whole mess. The locals don’t have any kind words for it and I can’t repeat what was said to me in this Freedom Fighter. Even in French I could get the gist that the folks here are proud of their Poutine. So don’t get Poutine from McDonalds, in Montreal, ever, it’s an “Insulte”. Anyway…

During a boat tour on the calmer part of St. Lawrence River, we had passed the Notre-Dame-dé-Bon-Secours Chapel where a statue of Mary, Jesus’ mother, stood atop the chapel overlooking the river. Our guide said that she once faced the city but due to all the debauchery goin’ on in the Red-Light district the statue turned to face the river. “Now she welcomes home all the Canadian sailors and soldiers who have gone aboard in service of their country.” Hmm. There are other stories about why the statue turned but this moment reminded me of a sermon that fellow FF writer, Rob Russomano, gave at Colony Chapel. So, with that, like a bowl of Poutine, lets dig into what “Thus saith the LORD” shall we?

“So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.”  Judges 3:7

It isn’t a good thing when YHVH turns away to leave you in the mess you’ve made but it’s another to leave your enemies behind to be a thorn in your side. This is exactly what happens to Israel when a generation passed after the death of Joshua. They simply forgot YHVH as they were left among a people who worshipped rocks and wooden poles. Seems pretty stupid when you say it like that but this what happens when you adopt the customs of misguided people and make them your own.

So, YHVH lets this Mesopotamian king, Chu’shan-rish-a-tha’im, enslave Israel for 8 years. In what will start to be what is known as the “Judges Cycle”, Israel will cry out to YHVH (funny that now they remember Him isn’t it?) and He’ll raise up a deliverer named Othniel, from the tribe of Judah. There will be peace for forty years and the cycle will start over…so what’s to glean outta this? Well, like the Poutine from McDonalds, let’s see what doesn’t belong.

It’s a spiritually undisciplined thing to just forget God. When that happens, the things you overly desire just take over and become the things you worship. When God sees this occurring, He’ll allow this Chu’shan-rish-a-tha’im (or S I N) to hold you in bondage until you realize this doesn’t belong in your life (like chicken nuggets in Poutine) and you cry out for deliverance. If your heart is sincere, God will send an Othniel your way and since Othniel (his name means lion of God) is from the tribe of Judah, you can be rest assured you’re gonna have an encounter with Jesus. Now, that may sound reassuring BUT…

Aren’t we called to be the salt of the earth? Aren’t we called to be the light of the world? Why didn’t we just stick to the simple recipe of fries, cheese and gravy (and maybe some pulled duck meat) that we find in His Word? Why do we think it’s okay to add rocks and wooden poles (like chicken nuggets and buffalo wing flavored dipping sauce) to our worship? Why do we allow ourselves to get so caught up in this mess and find ourselves crying out for deliverance from God (who we just simply forgot)? Maybe those are questions only you can answer but here is something to remember…

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8

It’s a pretty simple recipe if you’ve already tasted and seen that the LORD is good. If we keep within these guidelines, enslaving kings, like Chu’shan-rish-a-tha’im, can go somewhere else with their Poutine avec pépites de poulet recouvertes d’une trempette à saveur d’aile de buffle (I think you know what I mean) and we can go back to being that salt of the earth, that light of the world so that men may see our good works and glorify our Father who is heaven. Amen? Mmmmm…poutine!

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a child of El Elyon, a son, a husband, a father, who has an education in Biblical Doctrine and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy 2003. He also has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can e-mail him at cphughes515@verizon.net


Think About This: “The evil in our desires typically does not lie in what we want but that we want it too much.” – John Calvin

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 145-1471 Corinthians 11:1-16| You can download our 2022 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the Lord, But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.” Proverbs 12:1-2

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