Read: Judges 3-5
God left Israel’s enemies in the land to test them and teach them war. That is the same reason we still have enemies in our lives. They are there to test us and reveal what is in our hearts. They are also there to teach us spiritual warfare. Our enemies aren’t people but evil spirits. We don’t fight against flesh and blood like they did in the Old Testament, but we fight against principalities and powers of darkness in spiritual places. Eph. 6:12.
When Israel fell into sin and started serving Baal, God sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim which means “double wickedness”. That is why the worse sinners are usually back-slidden Christians or someone who has been taught the truth and chose to leave it. They become doubly wicked. But God raised up a deliverer every time Israel realized their sin and their need to be delivered. Some of the judges were Othniel, Ehud, Jael, and Deborah. They would deliver Israel out of their oppression and as long as they lived, Israel would stay devoted to God, but as soon as they died, Israel would fall back into idolatry.
These judges stood for a righteous standard. Without a righteous standard in our lives we will go the way of the world. We need a standard. Our righteous standard is Jesus Christ.
Lord, thank you for raising up Jesus to be our righteous standard and keep us in Your way.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Mon.’s Devo.- Stopping Short of Victory
Read: Judges 1,2
Joshua died and it was time for each tribe to take their land. The Lord told Judah to go first because praise should always precede a battle and insure victory. Judah asked Simeon to go with him since they were all part of the same land. Judah did valiantly till they came to the valley and couldn’t drive out the inhabitants because they had chariots of iron. What part of “I will drive out the inhabitants for you” did they forget? It is amazing how we can get a promise from the Lord and when fear hits us in the face, we quit. Every tribe stopped short of victory because the going got too tough. They either let the enemy stay or they made them their slaves. They were suppose to kill all of them and drive them completely out. Because they didn’t, God said they would be thorns to their sides and keep them from entering into God’s blessings.
After the leaders died, Israel fell into apostasy. They started worshipping the gods of Baal and Ashterah. How quickly they fell because they didn’t drive out the enemy hastily.
This is such a lesson to us. When we take our time to obey and get rid of the sins that so easily beset us, then we become used to them and they don’t seem so bad. After a while they even become our friends and we don’t see anything wrong with them. We have slowly been bewitched into believing a lie. That is what happened to Israel and that is what happens to us when we allow sinful habits to stay with us. We have to quickly get rid of them when God convicts us of them. If not then we will rationale the conviction away.
Lord, help us to see clearly what is holy and what is not. Make us a holy people, set apart to serve you. Help us not to stop short of our victories.
Joshua died and it was time for each tribe to take their land. The Lord told Judah to go first because praise should always precede a battle and insure victory. Judah asked Simeon to go with him since they were all part of the same land. Judah did valiantly till they came to the valley and couldn’t drive out the inhabitants because they had chariots of iron. What part of “I will drive out the inhabitants for you” did they forget? It is amazing how we can get a promise from the Lord and when fear hits us in the face, we quit. Every tribe stopped short of victory because the going got too tough. They either let the enemy stay or they made them their slaves. They were suppose to kill all of them and drive them completely out. Because they didn’t, God said they would be thorns to their sides and keep them from entering into God’s blessings.
After the leaders died, Israel fell into apostasy. They started worshipping the gods of Baal and Ashterah. How quickly they fell because they didn’t drive out the enemy hastily.
This is such a lesson to us. When we take our time to obey and get rid of the sins that so easily beset us, then we become used to them and they don’t seem so bad. After a while they even become our friends and we don’t see anything wrong with them. We have slowly been bewitched into believing a lie. That is what happened to Israel and that is what happens to us when we allow sinful habits to stay with us. We have to quickly get rid of them when God convicts us of them. If not then we will rationale the conviction away.
Lord, help us to see clearly what is holy and what is not. Make us a holy people, set apart to serve you. Help us not to stop short of our victories.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Sun.’s Devo - The End of Joshua
Read: Josh. 22-24
After the meeting in Shiloh, everyone returned to their own land. Reuben and the part of Manasseh that stayed on the other side of the Jordan decided to erect an altar at the place they entered the promised land so that it could be a reminder to their children of where they crossed into their promised land. All the other tribes heard about it and thought they were building a place of idolatry so they came to wipe them out until they heard the hearts of the Reubenites and the men from Manasseh. Then they calmed down. How quickly we jump to the wrong conclusions.
Years later Joshua knew his time on earth was drawing to a close so he gathered the tribes to Shechem and reminded them of their heritage and the blessings of following God and the curses of not. He reminded them that God gave them this land and drove out their enemies before them. He asks them to recommit their allegiance to the Lord. The people gave their word that they would serve the Lord.
Joshua died at 110 years of age and was buried in Timnath-serah which means “portion of the sun”. Joshua did make his portion in the Son because he was a type of Jesus.
Israel followed the Lord all the days of Joshua and the leaders he had mentored.
Lord, raise up men like Joshua who are not afraid to lead with integrity and courage.
After the meeting in Shiloh, everyone returned to their own land. Reuben and the part of Manasseh that stayed on the other side of the Jordan decided to erect an altar at the place they entered the promised land so that it could be a reminder to their children of where they crossed into their promised land. All the other tribes heard about it and thought they were building a place of idolatry so they came to wipe them out until they heard the hearts of the Reubenites and the men from Manasseh. Then they calmed down. How quickly we jump to the wrong conclusions.
Years later Joshua knew his time on earth was drawing to a close so he gathered the tribes to Shechem and reminded them of their heritage and the blessings of following God and the curses of not. He reminded them that God gave them this land and drove out their enemies before them. He asks them to recommit their allegiance to the Lord. The people gave their word that they would serve the Lord.
Joshua died at 110 years of age and was buried in Timnath-serah which means “portion of the sun”. Joshua did make his portion in the Son because he was a type of Jesus.
Israel followed the Lord all the days of Joshua and the leaders he had mentored.
Lord, raise up men like Joshua who are not afraid to lead with integrity and courage.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Sat.’s Devo- The Rest of the Inheritances
Read: Josh. 19-21
Looking at a map of the tribes of Israel and their inheritance and you will see that Simeon is right in the middle of Judah. Since Simeon means “hearing” and Judah means “praise” I think God is trying to show us that if you want to hear from God you need to surround yourself with praise.
Zebulun was the tribe of scribes. Jesus’ ministry was in the area of Zebulun and Naptali.
Issachar had a small portion of land but of the men of Issachar, 1 Chronicles 7:5 says that they were valiant men of might and 1 Chronicles 12:32 says that they were men that had understanding of the times Israel was living. This tells me that they were the prophets and leaders. Mount Tabor is in their land and Tabor means “to purge” which is what the word of the Lord does.
The territory of Asher runs along the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre and Sidon are in its land.
Naphtali was the sixth lot and they got the territory north of Zebulun.
The seventh lot fell to Dan which means “to judge” so it is fitting that it would be the last to get his inheritance since the last thing God will do is to judge the earth. Dan is also on the coast of the Mediterranean below Manasseh and above Judah.
They didn’t get enough land so they had to fight for more. They named their new territory Leshem which means “unto desolation”. A good picture of the last battle.
The next thing the Lord had the do was to appoint cities of refuge for justice. I explained these on the 10th of this month. The Levites were given cities among all the tribes.
Lord may there not fail any good thing which You have spoken over us. May it all come to pass over us and our children.
Looking at a map of the tribes of Israel and their inheritance and you will see that Simeon is right in the middle of Judah. Since Simeon means “hearing” and Judah means “praise” I think God is trying to show us that if you want to hear from God you need to surround yourself with praise.
Zebulun was the tribe of scribes. Jesus’ ministry was in the area of Zebulun and Naptali.
Issachar had a small portion of land but of the men of Issachar, 1 Chronicles 7:5 says that they were valiant men of might and 1 Chronicles 12:32 says that they were men that had understanding of the times Israel was living. This tells me that they were the prophets and leaders. Mount Tabor is in their land and Tabor means “to purge” which is what the word of the Lord does.
The territory of Asher runs along the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre and Sidon are in its land.
Naphtali was the sixth lot and they got the territory north of Zebulun.
The seventh lot fell to Dan which means “to judge” so it is fitting that it would be the last to get his inheritance since the last thing God will do is to judge the earth. Dan is also on the coast of the Mediterranean below Manasseh and above Judah.
They didn’t get enough land so they had to fight for more. They named their new territory Leshem which means “unto desolation”. A good picture of the last battle.
The next thing the Lord had the do was to appoint cities of refuge for justice. I explained these on the 10th of this month. The Levites were given cities among all the tribes.
Lord may there not fail any good thing which You have spoken over us. May it all come to pass over us and our children.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Fri.’s Devo - The Land of Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin
Read: Josh. 16-18
If you look at a map depicting the land that the tribes inherited you will notice right off that Manasseh and Judah have the largest areas of land. Manasseh has land on both sides of the Jordan and several key mountains are in Manasseh. Mount Hermon is at the very top of their land where Jesus took his disciples to pray and was transfigured before them. Mount Carmel is part of Manasseh where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. Also the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim are in Manasseh where the tribes read the blessings and the curses to one another. Judah had prophesied that Manasseh would be greater than Ephraim and he was. But, as great in number as Manasseh was they were afraid of the Canaanites and didn’t drive them completely out. When the leaders of Ephraim came to Joshua to complain that they land was too small, Joshua didn’t favor them because it was his tribe, but told them they could fight for more land if they wanted it. All they had to do was finish their job. They didn’t because they thought the Canaanites were too strong for them.
Joshua set up the tabernacle in Shiloah in Ephraim. Seven of the tribes hadn’t received their inheritance so their job was to survey the land and bring it back to Joshua so he could make the decision. The way he did it was to cast lots and let God decide which land was whose. Benjamin got the first lot. He got the land that they first came to when they crossed over the Jordan: Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon.
Lord, help us to not be afraid of the enemy no matter how large he seems.
If you look at a map depicting the land that the tribes inherited you will notice right off that Manasseh and Judah have the largest areas of land. Manasseh has land on both sides of the Jordan and several key mountains are in Manasseh. Mount Hermon is at the very top of their land where Jesus took his disciples to pray and was transfigured before them. Mount Carmel is part of Manasseh where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. Also the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim are in Manasseh where the tribes read the blessings and the curses to one another. Judah had prophesied that Manasseh would be greater than Ephraim and he was. But, as great in number as Manasseh was they were afraid of the Canaanites and didn’t drive them completely out. When the leaders of Ephraim came to Joshua to complain that they land was too small, Joshua didn’t favor them because it was his tribe, but told them they could fight for more land if they wanted it. All they had to do was finish their job. They didn’t because they thought the Canaanites were too strong for them.
Joshua set up the tabernacle in Shiloah in Ephraim. Seven of the tribes hadn’t received their inheritance so their job was to survey the land and bring it back to Joshua so he could make the decision. The way he did it was to cast lots and let God decide which land was whose. Benjamin got the first lot. He got the land that they first came to when they crossed over the Jordan: Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon.
Lord, help us to not be afraid of the enemy no matter how large he seems.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Thur.’s Devo - Faithfulness and Obedience
Read: Josh. 12-15
This part of the Bible can become mind-boggling just reading the names and wondering what it all means and I don’t have the answer but I know it is important to God and one day we will understand why He put all this in the Bible. I did love what Caleb said in 14:11. He is 85 years old and was as strong as the day Moses sent him to spy out the promised land the first time. He had had to wander through the wilderness for 40 years because of the sin of his people…not his own. So God preserved his youth during those 40 years. Moses had promised to give him the land he spied out the first time and it was given to him. That land had 4 giants that had kept the land for him. He knew that with the Lord’s help, he could drive them out and he did.
From this story we learn that when we are punished because of someone else’s bad judgement or sin it doesn’t blow the reward for us…it just prolongs it. We will be rewarded for our faith. Caleb had faith that God had given them the land but the other 10 spies were fearful. It cost them all 40 years and their life. The other 10 spies had died, but Joshua and Caleb were spared and hadn’t aged. Obedience and faith are the best ant-aging agents around. Too bad you can’t bottle obedience and faith and sell it in a pill!
Lord, following You is the only way to life and fulfillment. We choose to follow Your ways today.
This part of the Bible can become mind-boggling just reading the names and wondering what it all means and I don’t have the answer but I know it is important to God and one day we will understand why He put all this in the Bible. I did love what Caleb said in 14:11. He is 85 years old and was as strong as the day Moses sent him to spy out the promised land the first time. He had had to wander through the wilderness for 40 years because of the sin of his people…not his own. So God preserved his youth during those 40 years. Moses had promised to give him the land he spied out the first time and it was given to him. That land had 4 giants that had kept the land for him. He knew that with the Lord’s help, he could drive them out and he did.
From this story we learn that when we are punished because of someone else’s bad judgement or sin it doesn’t blow the reward for us…it just prolongs it. We will be rewarded for our faith. Caleb had faith that God had given them the land but the other 10 spies were fearful. It cost them all 40 years and their life. The other 10 spies had died, but Joshua and Caleb were spared and hadn’t aged. Obedience and faith are the best ant-aging agents around. Too bad you can’t bottle obedience and faith and sell it in a pill!
Lord, following You is the only way to life and fulfillment. We choose to follow Your ways today.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Wed.’s Devo - Taking the Land
Read: Josh. 9-11
If there is a book in the Bible that describes this generation it is Joshua. This is the generation that will take the land. These are the entitled. They know who they are and who their God is and they understand that this is our land: politics, the media, education, the arts, religion, the economy - it is our’s to take. That is how the Joshua-generation felt. This was their land and they were taking it.
All the princes in the promised land represented spiritual principalities. They made a mistake when the prince of Gideon tricked them into thinking they were from a far away country. Joshua foolishly made a covenant with them before asking God about it. When they found out they were neighbors, Israel couldn’t kill them so Israel made them their servants. These people were giants so they made them carry wood and water for them. When the other nations found out that Gibeon, a huge city had made a covenant with Israel they threatened to kill them. Israel was bound to help them which just gave them victory over other inhabitant of the land. Some of these principalities they came against had names that meant pride, fascination, wild, control. God even stopped the sun to give them more time to win their battle. Joshua didn’t stop till he had taken the whole land. Then he rested from war.
From reading this we learn that we can make our enemies serve us when they deceive us. We can also move the heart of God to change the natural course of nature just to come to our aid. We can be tenacious and take the land if we refuse to quit. If we realized the power we possess, we could be dangerous!
Lord, help us to see our land and go in and possess it.
If there is a book in the Bible that describes this generation it is Joshua. This is the generation that will take the land. These are the entitled. They know who they are and who their God is and they understand that this is our land: politics, the media, education, the arts, religion, the economy - it is our’s to take. That is how the Joshua-generation felt. This was their land and they were taking it.
All the princes in the promised land represented spiritual principalities. They made a mistake when the prince of Gideon tricked them into thinking they were from a far away country. Joshua foolishly made a covenant with them before asking God about it. When they found out they were neighbors, Israel couldn’t kill them so Israel made them their servants. These people were giants so they made them carry wood and water for them. When the other nations found out that Gibeon, a huge city had made a covenant with Israel they threatened to kill them. Israel was bound to help them which just gave them victory over other inhabitant of the land. Some of these principalities they came against had names that meant pride, fascination, wild, control. God even stopped the sun to give them more time to win their battle. Joshua didn’t stop till he had taken the whole land. Then he rested from war.
From reading this we learn that we can make our enemies serve us when they deceive us. We can also move the heart of God to change the natural course of nature just to come to our aid. We can be tenacious and take the land if we refuse to quit. If we realized the power we possess, we could be dangerous!
Lord, help us to see our land and go in and possess it.
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