Judges 19-21; Psalm 65
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I was reminded today as I was thinking about how far the
Israelites had come from God, about the song God gave Moses to teach the
Israelites just before they reached the promised land.
“And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this
song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their
descendants. I know what they are
disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on
oath.” (Deuteronomy 31:21)
The last line of the book of Judges reads, “In those days Israel
had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
God had created a system for the Israelites to make them into a
community, a unified people. He
gave them all kinds of specific directions on how to live so they would be set
apart from the rest of the world.
He told them of all the ways He would bless them if they would just
trust in Him. Instead they decided
they didn’t need or want God’s plan; they just did as they saw fit.
I have some mixed emotions about all this….
First of all, it breaks my heart that they would choose their own
way and miss out on all the ways God was going to bless them. But it also makes me angry that
they would turn their back on the God that delivered them, who gave them hope
and purpose. It also reminds me of
the amazing grace and love of God that He did deliver them anyway, knowing they
would ultimately reject him. It
has me in tears thinking about Jesus dying for us knowing that so many would
still choose to just do as they see fit instead of accepting the gift of grace,
forgiveness, hope, and purpose.
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