Friday 24 Nov 2017

November 24: Judges 2:1-5

Key Verse: Judges 2:3
And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’

Devotion:
There are many ways of dealing with getting into trouble; one way being you confess to the trouble and you deal with the punishment. Another way is you take the punishment and then continue as if nothing has happened. The one sure thing here is the punishment, but how you deal with things afterwards is your choice. But hear these words and think upon them. God made sure Israel was given a lesson that they would not soon forget. He sent His greatest authority (other than a personal visit) to remind Israel of what they had done wrong and then to tell them of their punishment. The very people they had spared because they thought it good were going to be a thorn in their side forever more.

How we need to take heed of that nowadays. How easily we forget such warnings because we think they were directed to someone else. How easy we forget we are God's people too. God's directions were that the evil people within the land should be destroyed because they did not follow Him. Israel believed they knew better than God's rules and overrode them. Because of this, they had to pay a price. How then, can we think we can get away with breaking God's laws without having to face up to the consequences?

God's punishment was simple. The very things which distracted Israel would become thorns in their side. The very things we do wrong become thorns in our sides. The more we get caught up in ungodly things, the more they will take over our lives and pull us down. The more they do, the more we lose out on God's blessings. The further we go, the further from God we stray. They do indeed become thorns in our sides. They do get worse the more we struggle. We need someone to come and take care of them so that we can continue on without them. God is that person. God is that carer. Just because He loves us!

Points to Ponder:
How many things get you down because you know they are wrong?

How many things do you ask God to help with?