Text
“In this way, God punished Abimelech for the evil he had done against his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also punished the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Gideon was fulfilled” (9:56 – 57, NLT).
Insight
After Gideon’s death, his son Abimelech wanted to take his father’s place. “To set his plan in motion he went to Shechem, his mother’s hometown, to drum up support. These relatives were Canaanites and would be glad to unite against Israel” (NLT Study Bible notes).
Abimelech’s selfish plan included killing 70 of his half brothers. By his ruthless acts, Abimelech did evil in the sight of God. He and the leaders of Shechem failed to acknowledge God. When Abimelech ruled, trouble and division came. Perhaps Abimelech believed his plan would prosper and endure and that there would be no consequences for his sin…
However, “you cannot mock the justice of God” (Galatians 6:7, NLT). Evil men and generations who fail to acknowledge Him remain subject to His justice. The facts are: “You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit” (Galatians 6:7 – 8). A lifestyle that acknowledges God and remembers what He has done will find strength to do what is good. Consequently, they “will reap a harvest of blessing if” they “don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9).
“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to those in the family of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
Prayer
Father, I will not mock You or Your justice. I understand that there are consequences for sin. I acknowledge You and Your will in my life. Thank You for leading me in paths of righteousness. I will do good to everyone. Help me not to grow weary. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Why Is All This Happening To Us?
Text
“Sir, Gideon replied, ‘if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites” (6:13, NLT).
Insight
You can tell a lot about how a person thinks by listening to the questions they ask. Gideon’s thinking and perspective was a byproduct of having grown up knowing neither God nor the great things God had done for Israel (2:10). His understanding of God was influenced more by the world around him than out of a personal knowledge and experience with Him.
“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” This is a great question and one many ask today. However, it is predicated on a non-Biblical worldview. It assumes this: If the Lord is with us… bad things won’t happen to us. The truth is: God is with us and desires to bless us. However, He has given us the ability to choose and free will to walk out our decisions. God had not left Gideon and his generation; rather, Gideon and his generation had left God (6:1). What was happening to them was the due consequence of their evil choices.
“And where are all the miracles our ancestors talked about?” Gideon seemed to believe that if God was with them, He would miraculously fix their problem. So, if the problem wasn’t miraculously fixed… Either the ancestor’s story is false, God doesn’t do that anymore or God is absent and we are on our own… none of which are Biblical conclusions. The angel of the Lord clarified the issue putting the responsibility right back on Gideon saying, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel” (6:14). The problem was not that God didn’t have the power; rather, Gideon didn’t see the potential he had in God to go and rescue… do something about himself.
May we develop a Biblical worldview through knowing and acknowledging God and experiencing His greatness in our lives.
Prayer
Father, open my eyes to how the world around me has influenced my thinking. Guard me from non-Biblical thinking. Help me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In Jesus name, AMEN.
“Sir, Gideon replied, ‘if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites” (6:13, NLT).
Insight
You can tell a lot about how a person thinks by listening to the questions they ask. Gideon’s thinking and perspective was a byproduct of having grown up knowing neither God nor the great things God had done for Israel (2:10). His understanding of God was influenced more by the world around him than out of a personal knowledge and experience with Him.
“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” This is a great question and one many ask today. However, it is predicated on a non-Biblical worldview. It assumes this: If the Lord is with us… bad things won’t happen to us. The truth is: God is with us and desires to bless us. However, He has given us the ability to choose and free will to walk out our decisions. God had not left Gideon and his generation; rather, Gideon and his generation had left God (6:1). What was happening to them was the due consequence of their evil choices.
“And where are all the miracles our ancestors talked about?” Gideon seemed to believe that if God was with them, He would miraculously fix their problem. So, if the problem wasn’t miraculously fixed… Either the ancestor’s story is false, God doesn’t do that anymore or God is absent and we are on our own… none of which are Biblical conclusions. The angel of the Lord clarified the issue putting the responsibility right back on Gideon saying, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel” (6:14). The problem was not that God didn’t have the power; rather, Gideon didn’t see the potential he had in God to go and rescue… do something about himself.
May we develop a Biblical worldview through knowing and acknowledging God and experiencing His greatness in our lives.
Prayer
Father, open my eyes to how the world around me has influenced my thinking. Guard me from non-Biblical thinking. Help me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Take Captive Your Captives
Text
“Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son o f Abinoam” (Judges 5:12, NIV).
Insight
Do you need to wake up and take hold of what has a hold on you? Do you need to reverse the situation and break out from that which is holding you back? It is time to “Take captive your captives” (5:12).
That’s exactly the message God gave Deborah to give to Barak. “She sent for Barak … and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go… and lead the way’ (4:6). “I will lure Sisera… and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands’” (5:7).
The Israelites had been oppressed for twenty years by Jabin, a king of Canaan, and Sisera, his army commander. They were captives because they had once again done evil in the eyes of the Lord. So, they cried out for help against this king and his 900 iron chariots.
Under Barak’s leadership, “The people of the Lord marched down against mighty warriors” (5:13, NLT). Ephraim, Benjamin and Makir marched down. Zebulun came “rushing into the valley” to fight for freedom (5:15). They came to fight, break out and take captive their captives. They “risked their very lives” (5:18, NIV).
However, others refused to fight. They lingered and stayed in the coves. Dan stayed at home and sat unmoved at the seashore. Many suffered from “great indecision” (5:16, NLT) and were cursed “because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty warriors” (5:23).
Wake up! Break out from indecision and the desire to sit unmoved. Linger no longer. It’s time to rush to the valley. Take captive your captives.
Prayer
Father, set me free from indecision. Wake me up to the enemies who hold me captive. Stir me with the desire to rush into the valley and to march out against my enemies. In Jesus name, AMEN.
“Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son o f Abinoam” (Judges 5:12, NIV).
Insight
Do you need to wake up and take hold of what has a hold on you? Do you need to reverse the situation and break out from that which is holding you back? It is time to “Take captive your captives” (5:12).
That’s exactly the message God gave Deborah to give to Barak. “She sent for Barak … and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go… and lead the way’ (4:6). “I will lure Sisera… and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands’” (5:7).
The Israelites had been oppressed for twenty years by Jabin, a king of Canaan, and Sisera, his army commander. They were captives because they had once again done evil in the eyes of the Lord. So, they cried out for help against this king and his 900 iron chariots.
Under Barak’s leadership, “The people of the Lord marched down against mighty warriors” (5:13, NLT). Ephraim, Benjamin and Makir marched down. Zebulun came “rushing into the valley” to fight for freedom (5:15). They came to fight, break out and take captive their captives. They “risked their very lives” (5:18, NIV).
However, others refused to fight. They lingered and stayed in the coves. Dan stayed at home and sat unmoved at the seashore. Many suffered from “great indecision” (5:16, NLT) and were cursed “because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty warriors” (5:23).
Wake up! Break out from indecision and the desire to sit unmoved. Linger no longer. It’s time to rush to the valley. Take captive your captives.
Prayer
Father, set me free from indecision. Wake me up to the enemies who hold me captive. Stir me with the desire to rush into the valley and to march out against my enemies. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Generation That Didn't Know God
Text “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10, NLT).
Insight “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress” (2:11-15).
The Lord left these nations in the land to test the Israelites to “see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given” (3:4). He left these nations to “teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle” (3:2). These nations were thorns in the Israelite’s sides and their gods were “a constant temptation” to them (2:3).
The Israelites were stolen from, defeated, unable to resist their enemies and in great distress. They were “burdened by oppression and suffering” (2:18). But the Lord took pity on his people and He would “raise up a judge over Israel” and rescue “the people from their enemies” (2:18). Praise God for His mercy and grace!!!
Prayer Father, rescue me from my enemies. When I am burdened, oppressed or suffering, take pity on me. Rescue me! In Jesus name, AMEN.
Insight “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress” (2:11-15).
The Lord left these nations in the land to test the Israelites to “see whether they would obey the commands the Lord had given” (3:4). He left these nations to “teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle” (3:2). These nations were thorns in the Israelite’s sides and their gods were “a constant temptation” to them (2:3).
The Israelites were stolen from, defeated, unable to resist their enemies and in great distress. They were “burdened by oppression and suffering” (2:18). But the Lord took pity on his people and He would “raise up a judge over Israel” and rescue “the people from their enemies” (2:18). Praise God for His mercy and grace!!!
Prayer Father, rescue me from my enemies. When I am burdened, oppressed or suffering, take pity on me. Rescue me! In Jesus name, AMEN.
A Thorn In Your Side
Text “So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you” (Judges 2:3, NLT).
Insight That was not the plan… The plan was that God was giving the land to the tribes of Israel, but they were to drive out the people living there. They were to destroy their alters and not to make any covenants with them.
However, Judah “failed to drive out the people living in the plains” (1:19). Benjamin “failed to drive out the Jebusites” (1:21). Manasseh “failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan” (1:27) because the people in that region “were determined to stay.” Ephriam “failed to drive out the Canaanites” (1:29) while Zebulun “failed to drive out the residents of Kitron” (1:30). Asher and Nephtalli failed too. Dan was actually forced backwards by the Amorites who “would not let them come down into the plains” (1:34). Then the angel of the Lord declared “I will no longer drive out the people living in your land” (2:3). And the people wept loudly
As I read this story, I have to personally reflect into my own life asking, “Are there any alters in my life I have failed to destroy?” I ask myself if I need to drive out Offense, Anger or Bitterness in my life. Is selfishness determined to stay? Is there a part of my old man that I need to drive out of my life? Are there any bad habits that are limiting me or forcing me backwards? I want to take advantage of the Gospel Truth, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13) and that includes driving out every limiting habit, attitude, action or inhabitant in Jesus Name.
Prayer Father, thank You for Your great and precious promises. Thank You for new life in Christ. Help me to continue to drive out the enemy. Help me to walk free from that which wants to limit me. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Insight That was not the plan… The plan was that God was giving the land to the tribes of Israel, but they were to drive out the people living there. They were to destroy their alters and not to make any covenants with them.
However, Judah “failed to drive out the people living in the plains” (1:19). Benjamin “failed to drive out the Jebusites” (1:21). Manasseh “failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan” (1:27) because the people in that region “were determined to stay.” Ephriam “failed to drive out the Canaanites” (1:29) while Zebulun “failed to drive out the residents of Kitron” (1:30). Asher and Nephtalli failed too. Dan was actually forced backwards by the Amorites who “would not let them come down into the plains” (1:34). Then the angel of the Lord declared “I will no longer drive out the people living in your land” (2:3). And the people wept loudly
As I read this story, I have to personally reflect into my own life asking, “Are there any alters in my life I have failed to destroy?” I ask myself if I need to drive out Offense, Anger or Bitterness in my life. Is selfishness determined to stay? Is there a part of my old man that I need to drive out of my life? Are there any bad habits that are limiting me or forcing me backwards? I want to take advantage of the Gospel Truth, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13) and that includes driving out every limiting habit, attitude, action or inhabitant in Jesus Name.
Prayer Father, thank You for Your great and precious promises. Thank You for new life in Christ. Help me to continue to drive out the enemy. Help me to walk free from that which wants to limit me. In Jesus name, AMEN.
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