Tag: sold them

101. Consider what great things He has done for you.

1 Samuel 12:6  And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers. When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. But they forgot the Lord their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

How does a nation fall away from God?  You have to know that there was the first person who laid the idea, thought, and groundwork for the path leading away from God.  Then others just joined in and soon you have a society modifying God’s word/teachings to fit what they think best.  God’s word does not change.  Expectations, rules, statutes, precepts, commands, promises are all the same.  When the church, individuals, believers, spend less and less time in His word, and more and more time being influenced by culture, society there is a drifting away from God that takes place so secretly that the person does not even recognize it happening.  Tozer said; “We do well to admit this is happening, but we should not accept it as normal, and we should not accept it as inevitable that we are shaped by the world.”  Paul said; “Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  Tozer: “That we have to some extent conformed to the world is proof of our weakness.”  We must recognize our neglect, repent, turn back to God and His word, and through obedience to His word, and with thankful hearts of the grace and mercy shown to us through the sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, live humbly serving, honoring, worshiping, following, and obeying.  Through His word, we will find truth and this truth will set us free from the clutches of the worldly passions and desires that rob us of victoriously living for Jesus Christ who is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory forever.

90. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

Judges 10:6   Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim; Israel was in great distress. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.”

The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:16-18     And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.  Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’  And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.

Deuteronomy 29:20-28    The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.

Nahum 1:6     Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

After 18 years of being oppressed, they cried out to God.  18 years!!!!  How stubborn do we have to be to wait 18 years before we confess our wayward ways and disregard for honoring, worshipping, and serving God?  How heavy must the oppression trial be before we see our state of affairs clearly?  How would you like to hear “But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” Go cry out to the things you are giving your heart and mind too.  Go cry out to the things you give your time too.

If we are not grounded each day in an intentional choice to humble know, serve, honor, follow and obey Jesus Christ, we risk becoming like those examples of the past who followed what seemed right in their own eyes.  They did not stay in God’s word.  They did not seek to know His word.  They did not find value in knowing His word.

If this is where you see your heart, soul, and mind, stop it,  confess it, repent, and turn away from being neglectful and complacent in your walk with Jesus.

82. The anger of the Lord burned

Judges 3:7  The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.

But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Judges 3:12  Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

Judges 3:28   “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

Judges 4:1   Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

Judges 4:31   Then the land had peace forty years.

Can you see the theme here?  There was a falling away from God, punishment, calling out to God, and peace restored.  In the cases above punishment was for 8 years, a cry to the Lord, and then peace for 40 years.  Punishment for 18 years, a cry to the Lord, and peace for 80 years.  Punishment for 20 years, a cry to the Lord, and peace for 40 years.

Why is there a falling away from serving and living for Jesus?   What causes or leads us down paths that are not God-honoring, God serving, obedient to God, following God, God-reliant, or God trusting.  We have been given examples of what others did but if we were to look deep into our heart and mind we might see, self-centered indulgence, pride, complacency, neglect, worldly wants, and a lack of hunger and thirst for God’s word in our life.  When His word is set aside because of the busyness of life, your path is already set on a course away from needing Him.  This path is very well worn and seems to be the same path that others are on.  Following others down this path does not end well.

Do you want power, peace, and purpose in your life?  Stay in His word.  Cherish it every day.  Seek to hear His quiet small voice of leading.  Obediently follow Him.  Humbly serve Him.

80. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Judges 2:6   After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.  Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.  After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.  Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

In one generation God was forgotten and what He had commanded was discarded. How can this happen?  How can a generation of believers and followers be succeeded by a generation that does not know God or what He had done for them?  If you laid out a plan for this to happen what would absolutely need to happen to be successful.

Get people comfortable with life by giving them prosperity and ease of life.  Introduce some other thoughts and religions into their culture so that they question what and who to worship.  Erode away the truth of God by tolerating complacency and neglect in your life. Do not think or speak of what God has done in the past, nor look for His hand in your life today.  Do not speak of God’s warnings. Do not speak of sin. Do not speak of God’s promises.

There is a reason we are told to faithfully walk with Jesus Christ.  There is a reason we are to meditate on His word when we wake, throughout the day, and when we lie down at night.  There is a reason we are to speak of His awesome deeds and wonders.  There is a reason we are to place His word around out neck and over our doorposts.  There is a reason we are to seek and desire to know Him more and more each day.  There is a reason we are to be faithful in humble service, reliance, and obedience to Him.

63. For the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.

Deuteronomy 31:16  And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’

Judges 2:14-15     So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.  Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

Psalms 2:12     Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalms 90:11     Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

1 Chronicles 28:9    “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Psalms 104:29     When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

Isaiah 64:7     There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

There is nothing hidden from God past, present or future.  Just look at how he spoke with Moses and told him what was going to happen.  We can read over and over again how people who were close to God and living in and under His blessings soon turned away.  It is not as though they did not know God but rather they chose to go their own way and serve self-interests.  Beware of what our culture is selling.  It will surely lead you down a path where God is nothing more than a second thought.  Keep an earnest desire for Him and learn to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.