Yesterday I mentioned that out of all the books in the Bible, Judges is probably the most relevant for our day and age.
There are 3 reasons why.
The 1st reason is we’re going to see Israel struggle both militarily and spiritually with the remaining Canaanites who are still in the land.
This has a direct parallel to our lives because just as Joshua failed to drive out all the Canaanites from the land, after we became believers, we have also failed to drive out certain ungodly elements from our lives.
It could be friends we should no longer hang out with…
Certain internet sites we know we shouldn’t visit (guys you know what I’m talking about)…
The music we listen to…
Or whatever godless distractions are out there that pull us away from the Lord.
The 2nd reason is God’s almost infinite patience and faithfulness to the covenant He made with Israel in contrast to Israel’s amazing disinterest and total lack of faithfulness in return.
And isn’t this exactly how we act when we totally neglect our relationship with God?
We neglect to pray, study the Word regularly and fellowship with other believers.
The result is we become spiritually dull and lose interest in the things of the Lord.
Which means our destruction is waiting just around the corner.
The 3rd reason is what could aptly be called “the Gentilization of the Hebrews”.
I actually consider this to be the main theme of the whole book of Judges.
I’m talking about how the Lord’s chosen people became more and more like their Canaanite neighbors over time.
This goes against the commandment that we are to be in the world but not of the world.
For Israel, during this time, the world was all of the Canaanite tribes they were surrounded by.
The sad truth is over time the Israelites preferred worshipping the heathen gods of their neighbors instead of being 100% faithful to their one God.
Why?
Because of the economic and social benefits, that’s why.
Again it was a matter of being controlled by fear instead of faith.
And there’s a direct parallel to the modern church today that gives into a liberal agenda by for example conducting same-sex marriages between men or adopting a pro-Palestinian position with regards to the land of Israel.
I appreciate this lesson. It truly shows how we aren’t focused on what the Lord has in store for us when we are focused on Him. I’m just as guilty as the nexted in not putting the Lord first in my life.
Thank you for the wake up
Amen Sue. Glad you resonated with this. Be blessed!