March 2 - Judges 10-12
As I read the Scripture for today, I was overcome again with the terrible spiritual condition of God's people at this time of the judges. In some ways it is understandable, but in other ways I wonder how it could have ever come to such a low point. We must guard against spiritual decline in our lives and in our churches in every way possible, because it is so easy to slip away from the Lord. We must not allow that to happen.
The situation is so bad in chapter 10 that God no longer wants to deliver His people from their oppressors. He says that they should just call out to all of the pagan gods to help them. Finally, the people repent and put away the idols, and God responds. However, it is still a very unusual story of deliverance. The people choose, Jephthah, the son of a harlot, who had been kicked out of his own family and was leading a group of "worthless men" to lead them against their Ammonite oppressors. It reminds me of when the people wanted a king, so God let them pick Saul. He was not really God's pick, but He put His Spirit on him to show the people what would happen. In this case it was not a good ending either. Jephthah led the army to victory, but in the process he made a very foolish vow, so he ended up killing his virgin daughter. How can a person become so disoriented to God's will? It is a terrible testimony to the spiritual condition in Israel that a leader would sacrifice his child to the Lord and think he was doing God's will. I think by this time God was sick with the whole situation, but it was only going to get worse before it got better. Did you notice Jephthah only judged Israel for 6 years. That was one of the shortest tenures of any judge, and I believe it was because of his lack of spiritual understanding.
In these three chapters we read about several judges, but there is not one spiritual statement about any of them that I can find. God was still working among His people, but He did not have much with which to work at this point. Sin had destroyed the character of the people. We see that happening around us today in America. We need a great revival or awakening to return us to God's will for us as believers. That is one of the reasons I write this blog. I want to see God's people fall in love with Him again and leave this world with all of it's idols behind. I pray that you are in love with Jesus and that you will pray for others to fall in love with Him, too. I long to see a day in America where God's people have a real influence not politically but spiritually because of their love relationship with Jesus and the power that comes from that relationship. People need to see Jesus in us every day. In many ways our time is like the time of the Judges in Israel, but now we are God's people, and we have the solution to the darkness which is all around us. Let's let the light of Christ shine out of us as we spend time in His presence and pray without ceasing.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 13-16.
The situation is so bad in chapter 10 that God no longer wants to deliver His people from their oppressors. He says that they should just call out to all of the pagan gods to help them. Finally, the people repent and put away the idols, and God responds. However, it is still a very unusual story of deliverance. The people choose, Jephthah, the son of a harlot, who had been kicked out of his own family and was leading a group of "worthless men" to lead them against their Ammonite oppressors. It reminds me of when the people wanted a king, so God let them pick Saul. He was not really God's pick, but He put His Spirit on him to show the people what would happen. In this case it was not a good ending either. Jephthah led the army to victory, but in the process he made a very foolish vow, so he ended up killing his virgin daughter. How can a person become so disoriented to God's will? It is a terrible testimony to the spiritual condition in Israel that a leader would sacrifice his child to the Lord and think he was doing God's will. I think by this time God was sick with the whole situation, but it was only going to get worse before it got better. Did you notice Jephthah only judged Israel for 6 years. That was one of the shortest tenures of any judge, and I believe it was because of his lack of spiritual understanding.
In these three chapters we read about several judges, but there is not one spiritual statement about any of them that I can find. God was still working among His people, but He did not have much with which to work at this point. Sin had destroyed the character of the people. We see that happening around us today in America. We need a great revival or awakening to return us to God's will for us as believers. That is one of the reasons I write this blog. I want to see God's people fall in love with Him again and leave this world with all of it's idols behind. I pray that you are in love with Jesus and that you will pray for others to fall in love with Him, too. I long to see a day in America where God's people have a real influence not politically but spiritually because of their love relationship with Jesus and the power that comes from that relationship. People need to see Jesus in us every day. In many ways our time is like the time of the Judges in Israel, but now we are God's people, and we have the solution to the darkness which is all around us. Let's let the light of Christ shine out of us as we spend time in His presence and pray without ceasing.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 13-16.