Tag: 1jo5

Tent pegs, oxgoads, and victory!

Today’s reading covers about two hundred-plus years of Israel’s history. During this time, God’s faithfulness and mercy are apparent! God is faithful to chasten Israel when they stray from Him into idolatry. God’s mercy is evident when Israel repents, rescuing them from their oppression by raising up a judge.

Then the LORD…gave them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim…But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a rescuer to save them… (Judges 3:8–9, NLT)

Once again the Israelites did evil…and the LORD gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil. But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD again raised up a rescuer to save them… (Judges 3:12 & 15, NLT)

So the LORD turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king…So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. (Judges 4:2 & 23, NLT)

What stood out to me in the reading were the instruments God’s mercy blessed in overcoming the enemy once there was repentance. For example, Ehud used a homemade dagger to kill a king. Shamgar used an oxgoad (a wooden pole with a point on one end to “goad” the oxen when plowing; the other had a flat piece of iron to scrape mud off the plow). And a woman, Jael, used a hammer and a tent peg to kill the commander of an entire army! In other words, once Israel repented, God mercifully blessed some humble, ordinary means to either start or secure victory over the enemy! Wow!

This same God is just as faithful and merciful in our lives as believers! He lovingly corrects His children when they stray and is merciful to them when they repent. Victory over sin, empowered by repentance, is often far more humble, simple, practical, and far more frustrating to the enemy than we tend to think.

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. (Hebrews 12:11–13, NLT)

Believer, no sin has such a hold on us that repentance and a “tent peg” can’t overcome it! There is no enemy that God’s mercy and an oxgoad can’t defeat! No child belongs to God that He won’t faithfully correct so that there is the blessed harvest of right living! Therefore, rejoice that God loves us! He is faithful and merciful in correcting us. Through repentance and practicality, we can experience the blessing of right living in our lives for His glory and our good!

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:3–5, NLT)

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Judges 3:1-5:31.

Wholeheartedly!

As I read Deuteronomy 24-27, I couldn’t help but notice the difference between obedience and disobedience! What is the difference? Obedience brought God’s blessing upon Israel! Disobedience brought them a curse! While chapter 27 ends with a list of curses for sin, notice what Moses says to Israel about the blessing.

“Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be careful to obey them wholeheartedly. And if you do, he will set you high above all the other nations he has made. Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to the Lord your God, just as he promised.” (Deuteronomy 26:16 & 19, NLT)

Israel gets to choose the outcome! Will they choose blessing or cursing? Will they live in obedience to God and His Word? Will they disobey? The result of either should not be a surprise! As I thought about this, two things came to mind.

First, the way of disobedience is hard! The last forty years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness was hard. They did not come out ahead for their disobedience. As we continue reading chronologically through the Bible, we will come to the book of the Judges, where this will be proven many times over. More broadly speaking, the whole human race is under a curse because of one man’s (Adam) disobedience in the Garden of Eden! The way of disobedience is hard.

Second, blessing follows obedience, and true obedience results from what? Blessed obedience comes from wholeheartedly loving God!

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:3–5, NLT)

And why do we love God? Because He first loved us!

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:9–10, NLT)

Believer, to be loved by God and to wholeheartedly love Him through our obedience is a blessed life! It is not a burdensome life! It is a life of victory! By the way, what is the greatest commandment we could wholeheartedly obey?

Jesus replied, ” ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37–38, NLT)

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Deuteronomy 24:1-27:26.

The numbers don’t lie!

Another census! I don’t know about you, but reading through lists of Bible names isn’t a big highlight for me. Yet, I usually find a highlight in the list of names! Today’s reading is no exception. Let’s compare the numbers from both the first and second censuses. 

  • Census 1: The total number was 603,550. (Numbers 1:46, NLT) (Total number of men able to go to war.)
  • Census 2: In summary, the registered troops of all Israel numbered 601,730. (Numbers 26:51 NLT)

The numbers are almost the same! Wow! Thirty-eight years ago, Israel stood at the border and told Moses they would not enter the promised land. God basically said, “Okay, I’ll take you up on that; you will not enter the promised land.” For thirty-eight years, Israel wandered in the wilderness, and the numbers don’t lie; they are not better off for their unbelief! In fact, only two people, including Moses, remain from the original census. 

Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. For the LORD had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. (Numbers 26:64–65, NLT)

So, what’s the highlight here? Faith is where the victory is at! Not unbelief! In other words, obediently moving forward with God’s plan is far better than resisting and wandering in unbelief. 

Sure, Israel gave excuses for not trusting and obeying God. Thirty-eight years ago, they said the cities were fortified, the giants would tear their children apart, and the enemy was too strong. Well, all this time later, none of that has changed, and Israel isn’t any bigger, scarier, or stronger, either. Talk about a waste of thirty-eight years! And that is the point: there is no advantage in unbelief! The numbers don’t lie!

The highlight? Rejoice! Faith is the victory! In other words, love God, obey God, believe God! Stop the wandering; start the overcoming!

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:3–5, NLT)

Thanks for joining me in my adventure to read the Bible chronologically! Today’s post comes from Numbers 26-27. Tomorrow, I will be reading Numbers 28-30.