June 3, 2010
The Israelites again leave the LORD and follow their own will. When trouble came (again) they cried out to the LORD. This time God has had enough. He listed for them the times He saved them. "But now you have left me again... so I refuse to save you again. You have chosen those gods. So go to them for help. Let them save you when you are in trouble."
Isn't it amazing that they/we leave God and choose to do our own will, yet they/we instinctively know that those other "gods" can't save us so they/we call out to God for His help. That ought to tell us something!! If Baal (money, power, prestige, self, etc.) is god then serve him/it and let him/it save you. If not, then TURN and serve the One and only God. What is so hard to understand about that? The Israelites turned and God sent Jephthat to save them.
Jephthat was an outcast in his family. His family had nothing to do with him until they needed him. "Why are you coming to me now that you are in trouble?" Why should I trust you? Jephthat went and met with the enemy. The Ammonites wanted the land God had given the Israelites back. Jephthat explained that God had given the land to the Israelites; the Israelites did not take it. (How can you argue with that?) Take the land your god gave you, we will live in the land God gave us. It's a little late to be bringing up this argument now. Why did you wait until now to try to take from us what God has given? Then Jephthat says, "I have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by making war on me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide whether the Israelites or the Ammonites are right."
But the King of the Ammonites ignored his message.
Addendum: 12/6/13 ~ Reminder of who the Ammonites were. They were descendants of Lot, conceived in sin when Lot's daughters got him drunk and slept with him so they could have descendants.
Next Entry: Judges 13:1–25
The Israelites again leave the LORD and follow their own will. When trouble came (again) they cried out to the LORD. This time God has had enough. He listed for them the times He saved them. "But now you have left me again... so I refuse to save you again. You have chosen those gods. So go to them for help. Let them save you when you are in trouble."
Isn't it amazing that they/we leave God and choose to do our own will, yet they/we instinctively know that those other "gods" can't save us so they/we call out to God for His help. That ought to tell us something!! If Baal (money, power, prestige, self, etc.) is god then serve him/it and let him/it save you. If not, then TURN and serve the One and only God. What is so hard to understand about that? The Israelites turned and God sent Jephthat to save them.
Jephthat was an outcast in his family. His family had nothing to do with him until they needed him. "Why are you coming to me now that you are in trouble?" Why should I trust you? Jephthat went and met with the enemy. The Ammonites wanted the land God had given the Israelites back. Jephthat explained that God had given the land to the Israelites; the Israelites did not take it. (How can you argue with that?) Take the land your god gave you, we will live in the land God gave us. It's a little late to be bringing up this argument now. Why did you wait until now to try to take from us what God has given? Then Jephthat says, "I have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by making war on me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide whether the Israelites or the Ammonites are right."
But the King of the Ammonites ignored his message.
Addendum: 12/6/13 ~ Reminder of who the Ammonites were. They were descendants of Lot, conceived in sin when Lot's daughters got him drunk and slept with him so they could have descendants.
Next Entry: Judges 13:1–25
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