Judges 2

They Lifted Up Their Voice, and Wept

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Do people weep anymore? Do people cry over their own vile and wicked ways? Does anyone even care?

And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers;” and I said, “I will never break My covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed My voice: why have ye done this?” Wherefore I also said, “I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.” And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.
Judges 2:1-5

The children of Israel had failed to do all that the LORD had told them to do. They were commanded to drive out the inhabitants of the land they took possession of; they did not do that in many cases. Reading chapter one we read that the enemy “Had chariots of iron,” so they could not drive them out. Some kept the enemy captives, and as servants/slaves, and this was disobedience to the LORD.

If you will notice three things in the text above:

1. The LORD reminds the people that He brought them up out of the land of Egypt delivering them from hundreds of years of slavery there. That is to remind them, and future generations; even believers/followers of Jesus Christ, that we have been given an even greater deliverance from sin;

2. The LORD reminds them that He will never break His covenant with us; and He does not ever do so. However, that covenant has a clause that says they are to believe Him, trust Him, through obedience in love for Him, so if the child of God gets out of the way and will of God, some discipline, chastisement takes place. So we must take notice of the danger for the follower of Jesus Christ. He does not break His covenant with us, and He will chastise us when we do not love Him enough to obey His word;

3. The LORD’S word to Israel was that the LORD would drive out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, as long as they were obedient to the commandments of the LORD and not take captives, but to destroy their altars, their idols – their worship of demons; because that is what it is to worship any so called god, made by the hands of men. Now the LORD says, “I will not drive them out from before you, they shall be thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.” The LORD wants to bless His people; however, He cannot look upon iniquity.

Jeremiah the prophet told the people of his day “”Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that My fear is not in thee,” saith the Lord GOD of hosts (Jeremiah 2:19). We do need to realize that our sin offends God. When the child of God realizes sin is an offense to the LORD, that should cause us to weep until we draw near to Him (James 4:8).

One must first come to God through His Son Jesus Christ who became sin for us on the cross, receiving God’s wrath for us. He died in our place, was buried, and He rose again, and when we trust Him alone for salvation, He gives us His righteousness, and a place in eternity with Him.

The Positive and Negative Promises of GOD

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.  Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.                 Judges 2:13-15

We love the promises of God. There are many who have plaques hanging on the walls of their homes and their offices; maybe even the dashboards of their cars.

Let me ask a question here. It is a question I have asked myself as I read the Scriptures. Aren’t the promises of God everything He has said? Doesn’t the promises of God include the curses God will bring on His people because of our disobedience? I guess that is two questions, but are they not very much linked together.

Yet it seems to me that we neglect these negative aspects, thoughts, and power of His promises. No one that I have ever seen hang the negative promises on their fridge, or the dashboards of their can; and you never see a bumper sticker with one of those.

What we need to do is hear all the promises of God, because just as we see GOD judging, punishing, disciplining the children of Israel – according to His promises – so will He keep His promises, negative and positive for His children today.

You can read some of the blessings and curses of God’s promises in Leviticus 26, and Deuteronomy 29.

The writer of the book of Hebrews said, “If you are without chastisement… then you are illigetimate, and not sons” Hebrews 12:8. That itself is a promise that I love. It assures me of God’s unending , enduring love.