Scripture

The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.

~Psalm 78:9, BBE

Quote

Pride is the ground from which all other sins grow.

~William Barclay

In studying Psalm 78 a few days ago, I was reminded of the pride of Ephraim which is mentioned four times in the OT. There are probably several reasons for this inordinate pride. Ephraim was the son of Joseph and Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob. Joseph distinguished himself from his brothers. One brief look at Jacob’s clan and anyone with a tad of intelligence would pick Joseph to lead. The difference between Joseph and his brothers was as easy to discern as the difference between Reagan and Carter. A second reason would be Moses {Levite} was succeeded by Joshua of the Tribe of Ephraim. So during the conquest, Ephraim is the leader and everyone assumed it would stay this way. Jacob had predicted before his death that Judah would emerge as the leader but I think this prophecy was overlooked. Another reason for Ephraim’s pride was the center of worship was at Shiloh which is in the territory of Ephraim. Of course, Ephraim and Manasseh got the greatest allotment of land and were among the larger tribes. Judah was actually the largest.

Each tribe had their own militia and Ephraim was renowned for their expertise with the bow, just as Benjamin was known for the sling. We do not know what battle today’s verse is in reference to but we do know that Ephraim cut and ran. It may have been during the days of Deborah the judge of Israel. Ephrain was well equipped and well trained but they lacked courage. Of course the greater problem was their pride and it lead to an embarrassing fall. There is much more to being a follower of Christ than lip service. Ephraim talked big but acted small. Our actions define us more than or words. One of the most courageous men I have ever known was a quiet and gentle man. He never pushed or shoved. I never head him raise his voice. I heard others make fun of him for being slow and indecisive but nothing could have been further from the truth.

The courageous shine in battle. When the chips are down and life is on the line, they show themselves strong. All the loud mouths and boasters run from battle. They take cover for fear of being wounded. Those of courage stand like lions. Don’t try to pick them out, the battle will reveal who they are.

Extra

Christy is at her mom’s house on Couey road. If you want to see her, I suggest you get by this week. Go to the car port door. In the mean time pray for Christy and her family.

We will be back in Philippians 2 tomorrow night. Sunday is Communion, PTL. It could not come at a better time. After communion, Charles will present a motion to call Dustin and Hannah Ruth Lorance to be our Youth and Children’s directors.

Have a good day and thanks for reading the blog.