Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Judges 3:7-9

By

Judges 3:7-9   "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.  (8)  Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.  (9)  And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother."

Yesterday, we saw the danger of trying to act like the world always results on the negative side. Again, the words of Jesus: "A little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump."  Good apples cannot repair bad apples; rather, they begin to rot faster when in contact with the corrupt. Some would say, "Well, Jesus went to where the sinners were located in order to teach them."  Yes, He did, but He did not stay there nor did He leave them in that state. The difference between Jesus and us is major, in that, He has the ability to change lives. We can have an influence on others, but we cannot change them. Therefore it is important that we do not allow ourselves to sink to the place where we are separated from God. The children of Israel did just that and the end result was "evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves."

They were delivered into the hands of an evil king for eight years until they began to cry unto the Lord once again.  Understand there were consequences for their actions, but God in His mercy brought them back from their torment. He "raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother."  The Lord used the nephew of Caleb to deliver the people. You can go back to Numbers, chapter 14 and Joshua, chapter 14 to see the great faith of Caleb. I feel positive that Caleb had an influence upon Othniel, but something happened to both of them that caused them to cease being the deliverer: They both died.  I'm so thankful that our Deliverer today is none other than the eternal Son of God, Jesus the Christ.  We can call upon Him day or night and He will hear our petitions for help. He stands with open arms, saying, "Come unto me."

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

By
One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...
Read more

Daily Devotion: An Important Question

By
In one of the great Psalms of thanksgiving, the writer asked a most pertinent question. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all of His benefits toward me” (Psalm 116:12) ? We may observe two elements in this question. The psalmist acknowledges having received many benefits, or blessings, at the hand of the Lord. For the believer, to be the receiver of blessings from the Lord is a fact beyond question. That is one facet of a proper perception of reality. However, for the unbeliever, or even for the nominal believer, such things come in the course of nature, or as a matter of deserving them. But to fail to see that such benefits and blessings come from the Lord is to lose touch with reality. The other element of the question is that the writer expresses a sense of obligation to the Lord and reveals a desire to do something in response to the amazing goodness of God to him. It is the reflex of the godly heart to desire to do something in response to the perceived go...
Read more