May 25, 2010
When Joshua and the elders died the people quit following the LORD. They were following the faith of Joshua, not their own faith in the God of Joshua. There was no ownership in their faith. It wasn't theirs, it was Joshua's.
You can know the words to say. You can quote scripture and sing the songs. But if the faith you are expressing is only words and actions you've learned, then it is no faith at all.
It is heartbreaking to see what happened to the Israelites after Joshua and the elders died:
Judges 2:10 - they grew up and did not know the LORD or what He had done
Judges 2:11 - they did what the LORD said was wrong
Judges 2:12 - they quit following the LORD
Judges 2:17 - they did not listen
Judges 2:17 - they were not faithful
Judges 2:17 - they quickly turned away
Judges 2:17 - they did not obey
Judges 2:19 - they sinned and worshiped other gods
Judges 2:19 - they became worse than their ancestors
Judges 2:19 - they were very stubborn
Judges 2:19 - they refused to change their evil ways
The result of their choices? God was no longer with them. When they went into battle they lost. Judges 2:15 - "The LORD had sworn to them this would happen. So, the Israelites suffered very much." They would not and did not listen, and they paid the price.
Addendum: 12/27/2018 ~ As I was reading in Judges 3 this morning, a phrase I never noticed before jumped off the page and grabbed my attention. When the Israelites went into the Promised Land the Lord told them to rid the entire area of the people who lived there. Yet, there were some areas where they were not successful in forcing the people out.
Judges 3 begins with this statement, "These are the nations the LORD did not force to leave. He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan." In the next verses it lists the nations that were not forced out. But what caught my attention was the "why." Immediately after saying there were some nations the LORD did not force to leave because He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan, the writer of Judges puts into parenthesis the reason "why" the Israelites were not successful in forcing out all the nations.
This is yet another reason why we are so grateful "the storm" has been going on for over eleven years now. Not only have we grown in our faith and knowledge of who HE is, our children and grandchildren have grown in their faith and understanding as well.
LORD, I am so thankful for your written Word and how it just comes alive and teaches us new things when we spend time reading it. Thank you, LORD. LORD, I pray that you will continue to guide me, direct me and teach me your ways.
Next Entry: Judges 3:7–31
When Joshua and the elders died the people quit following the LORD. They were following the faith of Joshua, not their own faith in the God of Joshua. There was no ownership in their faith. It wasn't theirs, it was Joshua's.
You can know the words to say. You can quote scripture and sing the songs. But if the faith you are expressing is only words and actions you've learned, then it is no faith at all.
It is heartbreaking to see what happened to the Israelites after Joshua and the elders died:
Judges 2:10 - they grew up and did not know the LORD or what He had done
Judges 2:11 - they did what the LORD said was wrong
Judges 2:12 - they quit following the LORD
Judges 2:17 - they did not listen
Judges 2:17 - they were not faithful
Judges 2:17 - they quickly turned away
Judges 2:17 - they did not obey
Judges 2:19 - they sinned and worshiped other gods
Judges 2:19 - they became worse than their ancestors
Judges 2:19 - they were very stubborn
Judges 2:19 - they refused to change their evil ways
The result of their choices? God was no longer with them. When they went into battle they lost. Judges 2:15 - "The LORD had sworn to them this would happen. So, the Israelites suffered very much." They would not and did not listen, and they paid the price.
Addendum: 12/27/2018 ~ As I was reading in Judges 3 this morning, a phrase I never noticed before jumped off the page and grabbed my attention. When the Israelites went into the Promised Land the Lord told them to rid the entire area of the people who lived there. Yet, there were some areas where they were not successful in forcing the people out.
Judges 3 begins with this statement, "These are the nations the LORD did not force to leave. He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan." In the next verses it lists the nations that were not forced out. But what caught my attention was the "why." Immediately after saying there were some nations the LORD did not force to leave because He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan, the writer of Judges puts into parenthesis the reason "why" the Israelites were not successful in forcing out all the nations.
Judges 3:2 - "(The only reason the LORD left those nations in the land was to teach the descendants of the Israelites who had not fought in those wars how to fight.)"Wow. Let that sink in for a minute. IF the Israelites were successful in everything they tried to do, THEN the next generation would have totally missed out on learning for themselves what it meant to be dependent upon the Lord. It was because of the LORD's great love for His people that He did not coddle them and allow the road to be easy. The descendants of Moses, Aaron, Caleb, Joshua and all the Israelites, needed to learn for themselves the lessons their ancestors learned first hand. They needed to learn about faith and total dependence on the Lord. They needed to know how to face their own battles and how to persevere in trials. The faith of their fathers needed to become their own faith. The battles they faced were God-ordained not as an obstacle of harm, but as opportunity for growth and development of character. The Master Teacher was allowing lessons to be learned.
This is yet another reason why we are so grateful "the storm" has been going on for over eleven years now. Not only have we grown in our faith and knowledge of who HE is, our children and grandchildren have grown in their faith and understanding as well.
LORD, I am so thankful for your written Word and how it just comes alive and teaches us new things when we spend time reading it. Thank you, LORD. LORD, I pray that you will continue to guide me, direct me and teach me your ways.
Next Entry: Judges 3:7–31
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