Today, as I was reading in Judges, I got stuck on a few verses… because my mind started pulling together various thoughts.\u00c2\u00a0 You know how that works.\u00c2\u00a0 It is like an “AHA” moment.<\/p>\n
In Joshua, as the children of Israel took possession of the land, they drove out the inhabitance of that land (in most instances).\u00c2\u00a0 But in the beginning of Judges, you see the statement, “did not drive out the …”<\/strong> over and over again.\u00c2\u00a0 Then, you see in Judges 2:10, that “there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel<\/em>.”<\/p>\n Why?\u00c2\u00a0 They dwelt among those that were already inhabiting the cities.\u00c2\u00a0 They began to worship their gods (idols) and they began to take their daughters to be their wives.<\/p>\n In Judges 2:14, it says, “the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies<\/em>“\u00c2\u00a0 During this time, God raise up judges.\u00c2\u00a0 God was with the judges, and delivered them out of the hand of the enemies while the judges were alive.\u00c2\u00a0 But when the judge was dead, the children of Israel returned unto their corrupt ways.\u00c2\u00a0 Again, the anger of the Lord was hot against them… he said, “Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died.\u00c2\u00a0 That through them I may prove Israel, whether to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not<\/em>.”<\/p>\n What struck me was …\u00c2\u00a0 Why did they settle to share the land that was given to them?\u00c2\u00a0 Why didn’t they do, as they had done when taking Bezek or Zephath? \u00c2\u00a0 Where did their fight go?<\/strong> As the children of Israel dwelt among these nations, they became more like them.\u00c2\u00a0 They accepted their ways, they accepted their gods.\u00c2\u00a0 They never became stronger by dwelling among them.<\/p>\n Often we accept things because… well it seems “kind” to do.\u00c2\u00a0 Where would these inhabitance go, if we force them out? That is confrontational!\u00c2\u00a0 We need to all get along with each other.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a “feeling” that is being pushed through society today.\u00c2\u00a0 And, I am one of the ones that deals with being non-confrontational.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t like having a head to head with anyone.\u00c2\u00a0 But, when the word of God is being pushed around, and used for peoples own agendas… something rises up within me.\u00c2\u00a0 We have to be strong enough to say… “This is what I believe and I’m not sorry for it.”\u00c2\u00a0 Why should I be sorry for what I believe?\u00c2\u00a0 When the Word of God is what I believe?\u00c2\u00a0 I understand forgiveness and mercy and grace.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t want to be the judge of others… but I do have to judge myself!\u00c2\u00a0 Where do I stand?\u00c2\u00a0 What do I believe?\u00c2\u00a0 Does it line up with the Word of God?<\/p>\n Am I going to become like the children of Israel?\u00c2\u00a0 Where I begin to do and think like this world?\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 That I am no different?\u00c2\u00a0 That I anger God?<\/p>\n Maybe the children of Israel … were just<\/strong> tired of fighting, just <\/strong>ready to settle down, just <\/strong>wanting to be seen as kind instead of always declaring who they were.<\/p>\n But at what point though… do we stop fighting?\u00c2\u00a0 At what point, do we lay down our sword?\u00c2\u00a0 At what time do we take off our armor?\u00c2\u00a0 At what point to we take off our shoes… and become really comfortable?<\/p>\n I think I have given myself a lot to think about… and hopefully for you too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, as I was reading in Judges, I got stuck on a few verses… because my mind started pulling together various thoughts.\u00c2\u00a0 You know how that works.\u00c2\u00a0 It is like an “AHA” moment. In Joshua, as the children of Israel took possession of the land, they drove out the inhabitance of that land (in most Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[107,92,109],"class_list":["post-253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-random","tag-armor","tag-joshua","tag-judges"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=253"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelasthoughts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}