Judges 6 Valor

 

Vs. 12-16  And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, (Gideon) and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about…..?” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel…..Have I not sent you?”  So he said to Him, “O my Lord how can I save Israel?  Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”  And the Lord answered, “Surely I will be with you and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”  Later in verse 30 we read that the men of the city wanted to kill Gideon because he tore down their ungodly altars and images.  His father, Joash, stepped in to save him. 

 

At certain times in our lives and through the very difficult assignments we may ourselves question God like Gideon did. We too may ask, “Why is this happening to me?  Where are the miracles, answers, the relief, the end of all this pain and agony. I am way too weak.” This same wonderful God who gave victory to Gideon is able to do the same for us.  He says the same to us, go in the might that He gives us to save that loved one, to persevere in raising that trying child, to coping with a mate or loved one who may be causing us the deepest of pain, facing a ravaging disease and even death itself.  Yes, in doing our assignments, it may bring us great enemies and dire circumstances.  Our greatest weapon is to surrender to Him and let God continue to mold us into one of great valor (Webster- Strength of mind or spirit that enables one to encounter danger with firmness; to be strong). 

He answers the same way, “Have not I sent you?”  He has placed us in special places to let us minister to others and at the same time to be molded into His image in the midst of our great trials.  He is faithful and He will not give you more that you can take.

1Cor. 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

Vs. 34  But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet. 

His Spirit is upon us if we have fully surrendered to Him. We can’t afford any other path as we go through our personal battle zones.    We too can blow that trumpet of victory even when we don’t see the end of the battle field.  He will ride right alongside us carrying us on to victory.  

Father, let us so live our lives in complete surrender to You so that Your mighty Spirit may be upon us. Help us to blow that trumpet loud and clear to proclaim Your glory to all who cross our paths

Judges 5 Great Resolve

 

This chapter is the song of Deborah.  I always enjoy reading this passage because my parents named me after this woman.  I love and appreciate the fact that they chose Bible names for the five of us:  Rebecca, Jonathan David, Deborah, Faith Lois, and Daniel.  Deborah means industrious and bee. The term “busy as a bee” definitely goes along with industrious.  I want God to help me to stay focused and industrious in the things that please Him. Deborah certainly is one we can learn from.

 

Vs. 2 “When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord.”

Are we allowing our husbands and God to lead in our lives?

Ephesians 5:22  “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.”

Are we willingly and daily offering ourselves to serve Him?

 

Vs. 12  “Awake, awake, Deborah!  Awake, awake, sing a song!  Arise Barak, and lead your captives away.”

God, help us to awake each day with a song or praise on our lips. Arm us with Your strength to be ready to lead those around us out of their bondage into great freedom and joy that You alone can provide. 

 

Vs. 15  “There was great resolve of heart.”

This resolve led the Israelites to a great victory.  Do we have a resolved heart, ready to go into our battles with victory in sight and the determination not to give up.  My youngest, James is an incredibly wonderful man. I have always loved him with a very deep love.  He has brought so much fun and joy to our lives As a little one he was very strong willed (by the way, they usually make the best leaders when channeled correctly).  There were many spankings, many groundings and privileges taken away.  Yet God gave us that resolve to persevere.  I told him every day that I loved him, praised him for the good things that he did, hugged and kissed him, reminded him often that I was not going to give up on him and that he could not get away with the wrong things that he did.  Whatever it is that we face in life, God wants us to have great resolve and determine that we will not give up. 

 

Vs. 31 “But let those who love Him be like the sun, when it comes out in full strength.”

Don’t you just love that verse?  It just grabbed me!  Oh, may we be like the sun today, with a song on our lips.  Let us shine with full strength!  Let our light not dim with discouragement and weariness.

 

Mt 5:16  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Judges 4 I Will Surely Go With You

 

Deborah was a prophetess and judge over Israel.  She reminded the leader, Barak that God had said, (vs. 6,7)  Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, “Go and deploy troops…..and I will deliver him (Sisera) into your hand?”

God wants us to be that living reminder to others of His instructions, promises and victory that is ours as we “go and deploy troops” in our lives. We do so need each other in this journey through life.  We need to be willing to stand along side those who are weak and fearful.

Vs. 8-9  And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”  So she said, “I will surely go with you.”

Are we willing to stand along side our spouse, children, friends as they go through  trials that they can’t face alone? 

Ec. 4:12  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Who needs to be encouraged in your life today?  Ask God to guide you and open doors to be that encourager and one who stands by those who need victory.

 

 

 

Judges 3 What is Your Test Score?

Vs. 1,4 “…that He might test Israel…” “….to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord…” Vs. 7 “So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and Asherahs (Canaanite gods).

What happens when He test us? Job 23:10 “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Our tests and trials are meant to refine us into His image. I was 29 when I lost my first through a miscarriage. After my stay in the hospital and then later at my doctor appointment I peppered him with questions asking what I did wrong. Was it because I……? Should I have……? That sweet Christian doctor gently answered me, “No it was nothing you did wrong. It is to form you more into the image if Christ.” My heart was immediately calmed and I knew I had God’s answer. It gave me an incredible amount of peace. We had longed and prayed for a baby. As I lay on the hospital bed with the news given me that I was loosing my baby, I prayed, “God, help me to love you in this trial just as I have loved you in all the good times.” My heart could have grown cold to God, but He answered my prayer and I experienced an incredible life lesson through that time in our lives.

Father, help us to embrace the tests You send our way. Help us not to turn away or let our hearts grow cold in our trials. Instead remind us to run to you and to rest in Your everlasting arms. Let us truly come forth as gold.

Judges 2 The Next Generation

 Vs.10-11 “Another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Vs. 14 “And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled (to strip or rob of belongings, possessions or value) them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Vs. 15 Other consequences: “the hand of the Lord was against them; calamity; distress”

The results of chapter one, failing to completely drive out the enemy have now taken their toll. Now a new generation is facing even deeper devastation. I heard this quote long ago concerning our sinful habits: “What we do in moderation, our children will do in excess.” We are training the next generation, even into the years of grand parenting. Those children and grandchildren need to see our lives lived in complete devotion to Him. They need to be trained as Deut. 6:5-9 states, with training going on in every aspect of their day. They need to be deeply grounded in His Word, not just from their Sunday School or Awana verses but pointing out answers from His Word in every day situations. It should be the greatest gift we give our children, far exceeding the gifts, music lessons, sports or college money we provide for them. Nothing else will prepare them for a godly life as being immersed in His Word and His wisdom and more importantly, seeing it lived out in us.

What kind of generation are we raising up? Are we just carelessly going through life with no real clear direction or discipline in our lives and in raising our children? Have we yet still failed to completely “drive out” in our lives the things that are slowly destroying us? Putting it off is like a fast growing disease. It won’t go away on it’s on. It takes a huge step of commitment and repentance. Are we willing to take that step today?

Judges 1 Come, Let Us Go Up

 

Vs. 2-3 “And the Lord said, Judah shall go up.  Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand. So Judah said to Simeon his brother,  Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites.”

 

Let us today step out in faith to do what God has laid out before us.  We too “shall go up.”  We can have the confidence we need knowing that He goes before us in victory.  Like Judah, join with another: a prayer warrior, your spouse, child or friend and go into that task that is before you in faith. 

 

In verse 27 we see the beginning of a long list of disobediences as some of the tribes fail to obey God by not completely conquering their enemies.  As a result the effects on the Israelites were devastating.

 

We must not take His leading in our lives lightly.  He wants so much for us to have victory.  He makes our instructions so very clear.  Yet He will not force us.  He wants us to obey out of a heart of love and devotion.   It is up to us to follow His lead and reap a life of reward and joy.  The alternatives are of our own making, a life of devastating consequences. 

 

Specifically, what is it today that He is calling us to do? 

Joshua 24 Choose

Just before Joshua died he gathered all the people together and reviewed before them the wonders of their journey in and out of Egypt and finally reaching the Promised Land. Vs. 5 “Afterward I brought you out.” Vs. 8 “But I gave them into your hand…” Vs. 10 “I delivered you out of his hand…”

We can allow this to remind us of God’s faithfulness to us. Whatever journey we are passing through right now we must remember, “this too shall pass.” He will deliver us. Our responsibility is to (vs. 15) “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…..But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Vs. 24 The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!” Joshua then made a covenant with the people; wrote the words in the Book of the Law of God; and then put a stone near the sanctuary as a witness to remind them to obey God. We have that verse, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” hanging on the wall right by our front door. It is like the stone Joshua used to remind his people to obey. It reminds us that as a family we have chosen to serve Him. Lately I have been trying to follow God’s leading to come to a closer walk with Him and to listen carefully as He points out areas of my life that I need to change. It has been a result of a new year challenge in the weight loss class I am teaching. We are encouraging each other to ask God to show us a new goal every week to improve our walk with Him. It is such a blessing to hear His clear answers. It is a sweet reminder of His love for me, that He wants the best for my life and that He answers prayers. First He showed me that my prayer life was too shallow. I began to take more time to obey in that area. Next I was reminded of Scripture memory and how I need to get back to memorizing more verses as I have done in the past. I got out my 3×5 cards and started reviewing verses. One of those verses is: I Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” That is one reason I know I need to have His Word at my ‘fingertips’. I want so much to share His love freely and easily. This week He has pointed out that I have become lax in my choice of what I watch on television. For some reason that choice to obey was harder for me and one I initially had an inner struggle with. It’s so easy to use television as an escape to relax or wind down. Yet I knew He was, of course right. It was robbing me of full obedience to Him; it was filling my thoughts with things not pleasing to Him; and it was too much of a time waster. It was time I could use building relationships, getting projects done or just taking time to have fun in more godly and constructive ways. I have begun to obey and I am sensing that wonderful freedom that comes in surrender. I choose Him.

Joshua 23 Take Careful Heed

 

In Joshua’s farewell address to the Israelites, he tells them, (v.6) “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you.  (v. 8-13) “You shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day .  For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, not one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promises you. Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.  Or else, if indeed you do go back and cling to the remnant of these nations that remain among you  and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you.  But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on you sides and thorns to your eyes until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.”

 

We can and should learn much from this lesson that Joshua gave his people. His faithfulness to us to our degree of victory is conditional.  If we remain on that path of obedience and not vary to the right or left, he will give us that same incredible victory, “one man shall chase a thousand.”  No matter what the battle looks like to us He will reign victorious.  It is not perfection, of course, but a heart condition.  We may waver and fail but we must not let ourselves stay on that wrong course but run back quickly to Him and get right back on the right path.  Too many have become conditioned by the world around us and immersed in its philosophy:  greed, self-satisfaction, selfishness, and a watered down lifestyle of dress, speech and behavior.  It is becoming very hard to see the difference in Christians and non-Christians.  Perhaps that is why the world is not often made hungry and thirsty for Him as they watch many who claim to be Christians.

Let us as ask God if we may have blind spots in our hearts and perhaps are becoming ensnared by the ways of the world.     

Joshua 22 Hold Fast

 

 

Joshua is commending the Israelites for their obedience and reminds them of the rest that is now theirs.  He then tells them to return to their land and to:  (Vs. 5) “…. take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Some of the people, in their zeal to love and “hold fast to Him” built and altar.  Other tribes misunderstood this act because God had told them to offer sacrifices only at the tabernacle and that the punishment would be death.  In their zeal to maintain holiness and not allow such an act they sent representatives to tend to the matter.  The matter was cleared up when it was explained that the altar was actually, vs. 28 “the replica of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us.” (Vs. 34 “…a witness between us that Lord is God.”)

 

As in this passage, in our own zeal to serve God and “hold fast’ to Him, let

us not jump to conclusions about people or circumstances.  We should deal with it according to the steps clearly given in His Word:

Matthew 18:15 – “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”

 

The Israelites were right in being concerned because they knew that if it were a true offence it would affect the whole nation and God’s judgment would fall on all of them. Personally and as a family we cannot allow sin to prevail.  We must deal with it promptly and completely. Otherwise it could destroy us. We must come to a place of personal repentance or go to that offending person to confront them.  We must take those steps to maintain our “hold” on obedience to God. 

Joshua 21 All Came to Pass

 

   Joshua 21:43-45 “And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he had sworn to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.  And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he had sworn unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”

 

God gave to the Israelites: land, rest and deliverance.  It all came to pass just as He had promised. 

Dear one, today, take heart, lift up your head and your heart.  The road may seem long and weary but we must remember that all will come to pass for us too.  He promises us so very much if we walk a life of faith and obedience. If we can see that we have strayed from that path of complete obedience, ask God now to begin to guide you this very day to a place of repentance and restoration and then begin to do whatever it takes to live a life that can result in Him being willing to let “all come to pass” for you.   Are we on that road?  If so, some day we will be able to look back at our lives and review joyfully the scenes of how He gave ‘land’ to us: our home and possessions; sweet rest after years of battle with circumstances in our lives; and those clear scenes of how we were delivered so many times from Satan’s snares as we remained faithful to Him.  We will have a clear testimony of God’s unfailing goodness and that He is a promise keeper. 

 

Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”