"When the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died." -Judges 3.9-11
This is the last three parts of the cycle for Israel, the cry out to God, God raises up a deliverer, the people are freed and the land has rest. The phrase that stands out is "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him" this will appear throughout the book of Judges, as well as the Old Testament. God's people are in trouble and need a champion, so God empowers someone with His Spirit to deliver Israel. The Spirit of God empowers an individual to do great things, supernatural things, for the deliverance of the people.
When a job needs done for God's purpose He will empower someone to do the job. The Spirit of the Lord descends upon a person to equip them for the task at hand. God does not send His servants out alone. He does not send anyone to do a task that He does not equip them for.
Men, if God has called you to a task, He will equip you to fulfill it. The Holy Spirit will be with you, working through you and in you, to enable you to accomplish the task that God has give you. Trust His, and know that He will be with you.
My college preaching professor told me something the last day of class that I have written in the front of my Bible. "May you always be confident to preach the Gospel, but never so confident to think you can do it alone. Preaching is a partnership." That statement can be applied to any task God has called us to. May you always be confident to fulfill God's calling, but never so confident to think that you can do it alone. The work of God is a partnership. God's Spirit will partner with us for the completion of our task.
Let us be men who fulfill the will of God. Let us be men who courageously trust God. Let us be men who are Spirit equipped.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Showing posts with label Judges 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judges 3. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Tested Love
"These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses." -Judges 3.3-4
Verses 1 and 2 tell us that nations were left so that Israel could learn warfare. Verse 3 goes into some detail about what nations were left and verse 4 says that there were left for the testing of Israel. Joshua gave the people the choice to serve God or others gods before he died, and here God is giving them the opportunity to make the same choice.
God gave humans the ability to choose (free will) and so there must be options to choose from. Without the ability to choose something different there cannot be real love. This is why God placed the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of Eden, so Adam and Eve had the freedom to choose God or not. Here Israel is presented with the same opportunity, obey God or follow pagan nations.
God does not force Israel to follow and love Him, He gives them the choice. If they decide to follow Him the will have His presence, provision, and protection. If not then the forfeit His blessings, but the choice is theirs. The nations left in the land are there so that Israel's faithfulness and commitment to God can be tested with the ability to choose something different.
Men, everyday we are faced with tests from God, will we choose to follow Him in each moment? Just as Israel was given the opportunity to choose for themselves whom they would serve, so are we. God allows these tests so that we can truly love Him.
Let us be men who choose God. Let us reject everything that is false and choose to serve and follow God.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Verses 1 and 2 tell us that nations were left so that Israel could learn warfare. Verse 3 goes into some detail about what nations were left and verse 4 says that there were left for the testing of Israel. Joshua gave the people the choice to serve God or others gods before he died, and here God is giving them the opportunity to make the same choice.
God gave humans the ability to choose (free will) and so there must be options to choose from. Without the ability to choose something different there cannot be real love. This is why God placed the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of Eden, so Adam and Eve had the freedom to choose God or not. Here Israel is presented with the same opportunity, obey God or follow pagan nations.
God does not force Israel to follow and love Him, He gives them the choice. If they decide to follow Him the will have His presence, provision, and protection. If not then the forfeit His blessings, but the choice is theirs. The nations left in the land are there so that Israel's faithfulness and commitment to God can be tested with the ability to choose something different.
Men, everyday we are faced with tests from God, will we choose to follow Him in each moment? Just as Israel was given the opportunity to choose for themselves whom they would serve, so are we. God allows these tests so that we can truly love Him.
Let us be men who choose God. Let us reject everything that is false and choose to serve and follow God.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Taught War
"Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly)." -Judges 3.1-2
Judges 3 begins by stating that God has left some nations in the land in order to test Israel. The Promised Land was the cross road of the ancient world. Three continents are connected by the land of Israel. It will be a place that is fought over for a long time. God has promised that if Israel remains faithful then no enemy would stand before them. Think about that, had Israel remained faithful to God, Alexander the Great would have fallen before Israel, and the Roman Empire would never have taken possession of the land. But the promise of God is not an excuse fo idle laziness. God would go before them and fight with them, but Israel would still have to fight.
There was a need to train new generations how to fight. They had to learn war, and while school and training are good, it doesn't capture the same aspects as on the job training and experience. In order to learn war properly, the emotions and chaos of the battle field, you have to be on the battle field. We see that God has allowed some nations to remain so that the next generations could learn to do battle.
Israel has the advantage, first if they are faithful, God is with them, ensuring victory. But secondly, these are nations that have heard about the victories Israel has had, maybe even seen some of them first hand. They know that God is with them and that He fights for them. In a sense they are learning in a controlled environment, but is fully real none the less. And this is how we are to learn to fight.
Men, we live in a world at war, and we have been given strength so that we can join God in the battle. He still fights for us and with us, but we need to add our shields to His phalanx. Have you had on the job training? Have you learned under the instruction of another godly warrior how to fight spiritual battles? Have opportunities to test your strength and experience danger and adventure been arranged for you? Are you arranging them for others?
Just as it is crucial that we personally experience God, we must learn to do battle. Just as we must teach and encourage our children to experience God, we must also teach and allow them to fight for God. We must arrange for opportunities for them to have battle field experience in a controlled environment. Let them get a taste of what goes on, while still under your strength and protection. That is how they will best learn, and it is our responsibility to make sure they learn. You get your children for 216 months (birth to 18), and in that time you have to prepare them as best you can.
Let us be men who first learn to fight under the guidance of a godly warrior. And with the experience we gain fighting for God, let us teach others to fight as well.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Judges 3 begins by stating that God has left some nations in the land in order to test Israel. The Promised Land was the cross road of the ancient world. Three continents are connected by the land of Israel. It will be a place that is fought over for a long time. God has promised that if Israel remains faithful then no enemy would stand before them. Think about that, had Israel remained faithful to God, Alexander the Great would have fallen before Israel, and the Roman Empire would never have taken possession of the land. But the promise of God is not an excuse fo idle laziness. God would go before them and fight with them, but Israel would still have to fight.
There was a need to train new generations how to fight. They had to learn war, and while school and training are good, it doesn't capture the same aspects as on the job training and experience. In order to learn war properly, the emotions and chaos of the battle field, you have to be on the battle field. We see that God has allowed some nations to remain so that the next generations could learn to do battle.
Israel has the advantage, first if they are faithful, God is with them, ensuring victory. But secondly, these are nations that have heard about the victories Israel has had, maybe even seen some of them first hand. They know that God is with them and that He fights for them. In a sense they are learning in a controlled environment, but is fully real none the less. And this is how we are to learn to fight.
Men, we live in a world at war, and we have been given strength so that we can join God in the battle. He still fights for us and with us, but we need to add our shields to His phalanx. Have you had on the job training? Have you learned under the instruction of another godly warrior how to fight spiritual battles? Have opportunities to test your strength and experience danger and adventure been arranged for you? Are you arranging them for others?
Just as it is crucial that we personally experience God, we must learn to do battle. Just as we must teach and encourage our children to experience God, we must also teach and allow them to fight for God. We must arrange for opportunities for them to have battle field experience in a controlled environment. Let them get a taste of what goes on, while still under your strength and protection. That is how they will best learn, and it is our responsibility to make sure they learn. You get your children for 216 months (birth to 18), and in that time you have to prepare them as best you can.
Let us be men who first learn to fight under the guidance of a godly warrior. And with the experience we gain fighting for God, let us teach others to fight as well.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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