Judges 1 - "But then God raised up judges who saved them from their plunderers. But they wouldn't listen to their judges; they prostituted themselves to other gods—worshiped them! They lost no time leaving the road walked by their parents, the road of obedience to God's commands. They refused to have anything to do with it...
Judge 2 - "I'll use them to test Israel and see whether they stay on God's road and walk down it as their parents did."
Stay on God's road and walk down it...
Words like plunderers and prostitutes always make me cringe. And yet God sees our turning away as prostituting ourselves to other gods. Which god will I serve today? If I'm not serving God, I'm prostituting myself against Him. I choose this day to commit my life as Joshua did: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
"But then God raised up judges who saved them from their plunderers. But they wouldn't listen to their judges; they prostituted themselves to other gods—worshiped them! They lost no time leaving the road walked by their parents, the road of obedience to God's commands. They refused to have anything to do with it."
ReplyDeleteA few random thoughts--Words like plunderers and prostitutes always make me cringe. And yet God sees our turning away as prostituting ourselves to other gods. Which god will I serve today? If I'm not serving God, I'm prostituting myself against Him. I choose this day to commit my life as Joshua did: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I so want to speak for my whole family, and my heart aches for that, but I can confess this in faith, as it is God's Will.
Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm out of pocket again but I'll stay up with the readings, just likely won't have adequate internet access. Hugs, Annette
Annette...I cringed too with those two words...oh that we would see the enormity of our own sin. Hope your spring break is going well. I don't have internet access except at Panera's. What's beautiful about you is that you are passing on to your family and friends the Beautiful God Who so resides in you. No quiet walk for you but a blazing trail of life you leave that others must wrestle with and find their God for themselves. You so point me to Him.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for not getting the past day or two up on time. Didn't realize I'd be without internet. Pray for my precious Blair who gets her pathology report back today at 2pm.
ReplyDeletePraying right now for Blair, dear Bev. Please let me know when you can..Love, A
ReplyDeleteChp. 2 "Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn't know anything of God or the work he had done for Israel."
ReplyDeleteSo much for what Moses told them in Deuternonomy 6: "Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside of your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night."
Such a reminder of what can and will happen if I'm not diligent to live out my faith and to actively teach it to my children.
My children will be tested by God as well, and I don't want them to fail because I didn't follow through on my God-given responsibility to teach them all of God's commands.
I pray for faithfulness, especially when I'm weary, and a sense of God's calling everyday as I raise these precious girls to know and love the Lord.
Judges 2
ReplyDeleteAnd God's anger blazed against Israel. He said, "Because these people have thrown out my covenant that I commanded their parents and haven't listened to me, I'm not driving out one more person from the nations that Joshua left behind when he died. I'll use them to test Israel and see whether they stay on God's road and walk down it as their parents did."
Stay on God's road and walk down it...
The holy road...worshipping God and no other god.
Israel is tested here through the temptations of these ungodly neighbors.
Will they be faithful to GOD??
Seems like the only thing that gets their attention back on GOD is a personal crisis. A plague or a monumental defeat in battle was GOD's immediate response to their disobedience.
Now, GOD has chosen to sit on His throne and watch them rather than destroy them suddenly.
They are in a crisis but they don't realize it's a crisis.
Look around us today. Are we just like Israel, living among godless people worshiping Baal?
I may be wrong, but these gods were worshiped with great amounts of intoxication (alcohol) and with uninhibited and perverted sex.
Would you just turn on the tv today and see what's "worshipped" by the people in our country? I'm sick to death of stimulated sex drugs advertised over and over. And tv programs that promote little girls as seductive females. Pornography is "The Now Big Thing." Waves of evil are rising up here in our "One Nation Under God."
Are we at GOD's Altar today or are we at Baal's altar? As a nation, most of our people have turned their backs on God.
In my heart, I'm seeking God right now like never before. My tv only has the power to build up my faith. I removed Satellite service and watch things that are pure. Or I turn it off and do things that give me peace and wisdom in these turbulent times.
I don't miss the news. God is in control. I don't worry about things nearly as much as I did before when news programs were on all the time. To me, they drive us to be afraid of these times.
How are you keeping yourself from idol worship?
When Joshua and the elders died, the nation experienced a leadership vacuum, leaving them without a strong central government or leader. Instead of enjoying freedom and prosperity in the promised land, Israel entered the dark ages of their history.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for their rapid decline was sin - individual and corporate. This first step away from God was incomplete obedience and the Israelites refused to eliminate the enemy completely from the land. This led to intermarriage and idolatry and everyone doing "as he saw fit.
The Book of Judges spans over 325 years - WOW! The cycle of the crying out in desperation for God to rescue them, and in faithfulness to His promise, the Lord rescuing them He would give them peace. Then they would become complacent again and disobedience would set it, and the cycle continued.
God is truly setting the stage where he is bringing the Israelites to place where they would ask for a King.
My prayer through the opening pages of Judges is to examine my faith, and look at the cycles in my own life. In order for our faith to survive, we must "practice" it day by day. Our faith must penetrate every aspect of our lives.