149th Week, Judges Chapters 5-9 (Click on Title for Video Introductuion)

 

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Monday, Judges Chapter 5

Judges 5 

Verses 15-16

Mindy Strayer

Verses 15-16: In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.  Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks?  In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of  heart.

THOUGHT

There was much searching of heart. This sentence really struck me. Clearly it was God’s Will for his people to go out in battle and fight against the enemy nations. We have the advantage of knowing for certain because we are reading about Deborah hearing the command of the Lord and all that transpired after that Word was obeyed. Many Israelite tribes believed this Word of God and obeyed.  They went to battle, but there were some tribes that did not go into battle. They stayed back home. Home where they would be more comfortable, where they wouldn’t have to put forth any effort in helping the kingdom of God to advance, home where they would not have to risk their very lives. The Bible says that they did much searching of heart, and still they did not follow the will of God. 

I think this is what happens in our own lives. We pray and pray and ask God what we should do about this or that.  And we can take days, weeks, months even to “hear from God”, so much time spent waiting. Waiting for some big blaring motivating sign to do what we are contemplating. I think there are decisions in life that need quite a lot of thought and prayer. But a lot of the time, I think the answer from God is there quickly, clear, BIG and easily visible. 

The Israelites would not have had a long period of time to decide what to do with going into battle or not. Your comrades were heading out; you either go now with them or you stay behind. Often we, like the Israelite tribes that didn’t go, come to the wrong answer for our actions. We were supposed to go, but we did not. Oooh, that strikes at my heart. How that must grieve our Lord. All the victories we could have claimed if we had followed the will of God. Victory was enjoyed at a higher level for the tribes that went to war vs the tribes that stayed home. 

Why do we do this? Search our hearts and end up doing the wrong thing, making the excuse that, well, that is just not what God wants from me, because if He did surely I would FEEL something more positive than what I have been feeling about it. Oh, what a lie of the devil that is, that we need to feel some great and glorious feeling about something. But, I am guilty of this thought process, and here is the thing; the devil lies. That is what he does, but we don’t have to believe him. We have the mind of Jesus, and we have His Truth to discount the devil’s lies. These are the reasons that I can have a huge searching of heart, and even though I want to do what God wants me to, I don’t. 

1. Lack of trust in God (being fearful)

2. Lack of obedience to God 

3. Complacency and laziness 

The more I go along in this Christian journey, the more I realize how much my real trust in God is lacking. I get fearful of my talents, abilities, gifts and so forth being able to do anything for God, but nothing hinders God making us useful unless we refuse to be used by Him. After all, it is not our abilities that matter; it is God working through us.

What about the subject of risking our lives for the Lord? Verse 18 says that the people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali. We don’t necessarily have to be risking death to be risking our lives for the Lord. We are likely to have God ask us to risk our lives in the sense of risking our lifestyle, or risk feeling embarrassment, failure, rejection, scorning, and ridicule in the world. Our love of the comfortable lifestyle in which we live and the priorities we set-up prevent us from risking our lives for the Lord. We get complacent and lazy in regards to the things of God, and that will cause us to be disobedient.

PRAYER

Oh God! How awesome You are! How glorious and magnificent You are! You know us through and through. You have set us apart and brought us into Your kingdom just because You love us. Search our hearts, Holy Spirit; we pray. Reveal to us areas in our lives of disobedience. Give us a firm trust in the Lord, who He is and what He can do. May our own searching of our hearts not be in vain, but lead to a following of the will of our Father in Heaven. We ask in Jesus' Mighty Name. AMEN

Tuesday, Judges Chapter 6

Judges 6 

Verses 15-16

Bart Strayer

Verses 15-16:  “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”  The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

THOUGHT

I think sometimes as we read the Bible we forget that the people God used to administer His Will can be just common people. It is inspiring to read in this chapter of Judges how God used a common farmer like Gideon to deliver a nation.

I think at times the devil tries to see to it that we think about trying to accomplish only small things. I am sure he likes it when we can’t possibly see how the Lord can use us for bigger tasks. For this reason, the Lord uses the Bible to remind us to seek Him and never put constraints on our abilities when we have God on our side.

PRAYER

Lord, we know You have great things planned for our lives. Help us not to be deceived by the devil, causing us to think that we are not worthy of Your Greatness to be seen through us. Work in us anew. AMEN

Wednesday, Judges Chapter 7

Judges 7

Verses 2,4,7

Mindy Strayer

Verse 2:  In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her,

Verse 4:  but the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men.”

Verse 7:  The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.”

THOUGHT

Gideon was left with 300 fighting men down from 32,000. Talk about having your resources depleted. This is how God works in the battles of our lives too. Sometimes we are taken down to the bare bones of our own resources where all we have is Christ, and we have to rely on Him, not our own strength, money, knowledge, mind, friends or family, just Jesus and the power of His Word and the power of His Life in us. We must believe the Word of God. We can do nothing without Christ. And there is nothing that is impossible for Him.

God does not like the act of boasting. It is an act of pride which is a sign that we don’t feel we need God.

Jeremiah 9:23-24:  This is what the Lord says, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” declares the Lord.

Paul mentions this also in I Corinthians 1: 30-31:  “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

PRAYER

Father God, we give You the glory, the honor and the praise always, for it is You alone who is worthy.  AMEN

Thursday, Judges Chapter 8

Judges 8 

Verses 7 & 9

Mindy Strayer

Verses 7 & 9:  Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”  So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”

THOUGHT

This does not sound like your average farmer does it? Gideon had the Spirit of the Lord upon him. The hand of the Lord was with him, and by the time these statements were made, Gideon had come to trust in and expect victory with the Lord. What a far cry from the man who told the Lord that he wasn’t strong or prominent enough to help save Israel. It is always neat to see someone grow in confidence and faith in the Lord, not confidence in themselves, but in the Lord.

God proves Himself faithful time and time again. I think interesting to point out as well is that Gideon, in chapter 7, after God told him and his servant, Purah, to go down into the camps of the enemy and listen to what they were saying, and upon hearing exactly as God said he would, he worshipped God. His faith in God and what He would do was great, and Gideon praised the Lord before the actual earthly battle had even been won. He knew that God truly was on Israel’s side and would bring them a great victory. 

We can do ALL things in Christ who strengthens us!!  You guys, faith in God is our victory. The battle has already been won though we may not have even faced it yet.  We say thank You to Jesus for that! Whatever we face in this life, because Jesus beat sin, we cannot be destroyed.  True, our bodies can be. But, our souls, our true selves, where life comes from the living God, they cannot be destroyed when we are in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER

God, we honor and praise You!! You are ever FAITHFUL!! You are ever TRUTHFUL!! Nothing is impossible for You. I thank thee that You are on my side. That You are for me, and with You I have everything I need. Thank You for being with us in the heat of all of our battles. Thank You, Jesus, for giving us victory in this life. Now, God, we ask for Your continued blessing in our lives. Pull us nearer to You with every passing day. May Your Light and Truth shine through our lives for the world to see.  AMEN

Friday, Judges Chapter 9

Judges 9 

Verse 56

Bart Strayer

Verse 56:  Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.

THOUGHT

Abimelech was everything God didn’t want in a judge. Again we see a life end in a disgraceful act. He had a servant run a sword through him after a woman threw a millstone and knocked him on the head. You can’t make this stuff up.

Sometimes I wonder what some of the people in the Bible felt when they themselves were wandering in no-man’s land. Sometimes when I feel myself leaving the graces of God and striking out in my own pursuits, there seems to be a loneliness ... or feeling of isolation. I wonder if Abimelech ever felt this.  Or, did he feel this in those last moments of his life. Kind of like one of those moments when you ask yourself, “What am I doing over here?” 

I have come to realize those moments of question are truly a gift from God. It is the wakeup call to come running back. Without it, who knows how far we could wander.

PRAYER

Lord, we thank You for those times when You have called us back to You. Keep us ever mindful of our position in our spiritual walk. Help us when we go astray. Give us the eyes to see and the ears to hear Your voice. In Jesus Name. AMEN