Reading: Judges 10-11
And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola
the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar;
and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. And he judged
Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in
Shamir. And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged
Israel twenty and two years. And he had thirty sons that
rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which
are called Havoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land
of Gilead. And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. And
the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord,
and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria,
and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods
of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines,
and forsook the Lord, and served not Him(Judg. 10:1-6).
The further we go into the Book of Judges, the more one
distressing fact becomes clear: while the Israelites were, for
the most part, willing to follow the directives of a charismatic
human leader, they did not accept any personal responsibility
for maintaining their faith themselves. If they were being
communally herded under the principles of God, they were
content to go in that direction. But if a Godly leader weren’t
readily available, they would follow the established worldly path
of least resistance, only calling out to God once the mounting
consequences of their sinful choices reached unbearable levels. Over and over, this cycle repeated itself. Following the death
of Joshua, Israel retreated from God and fell under the control
of the Edomites. Under the judgeship of Othniel, they revived
their faith, but once he was gone, they soon turned away (Judg.
3:9-11). When life under Moabite control became too much to
bear, they cried out to God, and He sent them Ehud (3:15-30).
Following the death of Ehud, apostasy took over the people
once again, and they fell under the control of a Canaanite king,
who ruled until the rise of Deborah and Barak (4:1-24). When
their leadership ceased, the void was filled by the Midianites
and Amalekites, under whom Israel suffered for seven years.
God then recruited Gideon, whom the Israelites loved so much
they attempted to crown him king (Judg. 6, 7, 8). After a brief period where the people tried to follow Gideon’s evil son Abimelech,
God installed first Tola and then Jair to draw His people’s
attention back to Him. Following the death of Jair, the people
immediately reverted to type and began lusting after the gods
of their pagan neighbors. Is it any wonder that, at this point, God said enough was
enough? The next time the Israelites cried out for deliverance,
they were shocked at His immediate reply: Go and cry unto
the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the
time of your tribulation (10:14). For the first time in centuries,
God’s response was fair and just, and they didn’t know how to
handle that. Only after they took their first, tentative steps towards
true repentance (10:15-16) did God temper His response
with mercy and, through Jephthah, deliver them once again. God’s love for us is infinite; His mercy and grace flow from an
endless supply. But that does not mean He will continually clean
up our messes every time we ask and allow us to escape personal
responsibility for our choices. God ‘owes’ us nothing, and when
we hypocritically seek His help without any sincere intention to
change ourselves, nothing may be exactly what we receive. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap(Gal. 6:7). Thought For Today:When we seek God merely to repair our
lives, we will only find disappointment; when we understand that
it is our souls that need maintenance, we will find redemption. Christ Portrayed:By Jephthah’s only child as she wholly submitted to
her father’s will even as Jesus wholly submitted to His Father’s will (Judg.
11:34-40). On the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed: Not as I will, but
as Thou wilt (Matt. 26:39). Word Studies:10:8 vexed = afflicted; 10:14 cry = call; 11:2 strange =
foreign; 11:3 vain = renegade; 11:23 dispossessed = driven out; 11:34
timbrels = tambourines; 11:35 opened thy mouth = spoke. Pray For Staff:Ryan McCrary • Government Officials: Rep. Nancy Pelosi
(CA), Rep. Laurel Lee (FL) • Country: United States (318,892,103) North
America • Major Languages: English, Spanish • Religious Freedom • 51.3%
Protestant; 23.9% Roman Catholic; 1.7% Mormon; 1.6% Other Christian;
1.6% Jewish; 0.7% Buddhist; 0.6% Muslim; 2.5% Other/Unspecified; 12.1%
Unaffiliated; 4% None • Prayer Suggestion: Thank God for sending the
Holy Spirit (John 16:7-8). Optional ReadingJohn 17