God's Anger Toward His People (Judges 3:5-8)

12/15/2009 9:57 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                              Focus:  God’s anger toward His people

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Judges 3:5-8

            Message of the verses:  “5  The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; 6  and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 7  The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.   8   Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.”

            When one reads the book of Judges it is not too hard to see the wrong that Israel did, how they had broken the covenants that were made between God, through Moses, and the nation of Israel.  The punishment is also not hard to figure out because God had told them what would happen if they broke their covenant with Him, and now it was happening.

            Israel was acting like a slave so God sold them into the hands of Cushan “a doubly wicked Cushan.”  Dr. Wiersbe points out that there are four times in the book of Judges that it says that “God sold” the children of Israel into the hands of, and then gives the nations name.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “Charles Spurgeon said that God never allows His people to sin successfully.  Their sin will either destroy them or it will invite the chastening hand of God.  If the history of Israel teaches the contemporary church anything it’s the obvious lesson that ‘righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people’ (Proverbs 14:34 NIV).”

            I know that if I choose to sin that it will not be done successfully, for whenever I sin it causes me to feel bad, and it also causes me to repent in order to get back into fellowship with my heavenly Father, and His Son.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Trust the Lord to allow me to have a wonderful experience at “Spa West” today, to be thankful for the gift that Andy and Kerrie have provided for us.
2. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

12/15/2009 10:20 AM