They forfeited what the Lord had Promised; they failed to learn from what the Lord Did (Judges 2:14-23)

12/11/2009 10:46 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time Focus:  They forfeited what the Lord had promised; They failed to learn from what the Lord did

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Judges 2:14-23

            Message of the verses:  “14  The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15  Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed. 16  Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. 17  Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers. 18  When the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19  But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. 20  So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, 21  I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22  in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did, or not." 23  So the LORD allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.”

            Since I am doing two of the sub-points in this SD I will begin with the first one from verses fourteen and fifteen.  As mentioned in yesterday’s SD the Lord had made conditional covenants with Israel and one of them is found in the 28^th chapter of Deuteronomy and this is what verses 25-26 say:  “25  "The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26  "Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.”  In verses 14-15 of this second chapter of Judges these verses become true in the lives of the children of Israel.  It is because the children of Israel did not obey the Lord that all of these atrocious things came upon them.

            These verse show a pattern that is found in the book of Judges as seen in chapter three and verses seven and eight A:  “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. Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands--”

            The cycle is disobedience, discipline, despair, and deliverance, and it is seen today in the lives of God’s children, for Hebrews 12 speaks of the discipline of the Lord, and He does it to those that are His own. 

            “The Book of Judges is the inspired record of Israel’s failures and God’s faithfulness.  But if we study this book only as past history, we’ll miss the message completely.  This book is about God’s people today.  When the psalmist reviewed the period of the Judges (Ps. 106:40-46), he concluded with a prayer that we need to pray today:  ‘Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise’ (Ps. 106:47, NIV).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I surely do not like the discipline of the Lord in my life, yet I believe that the Lord always does what is right all of the time, and the one thing that I pray happens when the Lord disciplines me is that I will realize when it is happening and that I will learn from it and so that I will never have to go through it again, and also that it will bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ who died in my place so that I may have eternal life in Him.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. I want to have a better prayer life.

12/11/2009 11:16 AM