12/17/2009
8:09 AM
SPIRITUAL
DIARY
My
Worship Time Focus: Eglon the oppressor
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Judges 3:12-14
Message of the verses: “12 ¶
Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened
Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight
of the LORD. 13 And he gathered to
himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they
possessed the city of the palm trees. 14
The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.”
The
book of Judges has some repeating scenarios in it as mentioned in an earlier
SD. The highlighted portion of verse
twelve is familiar to readers of Judges, as the downward spiral begins again
seeing Israel doing evil in the sight of the Lord, and then the Lord rose up
another nation to oppress Israel. This
time it was the Moabites, who were actually realities of Israel through
Abraham’s nephew Lot. This oppression
will last for eighteen years.
The
city of palm trees probably refers to Jericho even though it had not been
rebuilt at this time it probably served as a good point for military
operations.
One
has to wonder how the nation of Israel continued to fail in serving the Lord
because that had such a rich history starting with Abraham and moving on to
Moses delivering them from bondage, and then they were given the covenants,
commandments and the priesthood along with the Levites, yet the continued to
fail the Lord and continued to fall into idolatry.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that an even more difficult
question to answer is why have I fallen into temptation when I have more than
what Israel had at the time of the Judges, for not only do I have all that they
had, but I live on the other side of the cross and have a completed Bible and
also I have the Holy Spirit living in me to guide me and to fill me so there is
no excuse for me with the exception of the old nature that fights against
everything that I want to do good. Paul
wrote of this struggle in Romans chapter seven, as he had the same struggles,
yet he overcome temptation to become probably the greatest believer ever to
live, and claims that he was the worst sinner ever to live. There is hope for me.
My
Steps of Faith for Today:
- Continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
- Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
- Continue to learn contentment.
- Trust the Lord to guide my path.
- Put on the spiritual armor for the battle today: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
12/17/2009 9:11 AM
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