Thorns and Snares!

Reading:  Judges 1 - 3
My Verse:  “And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; but you shall break down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?  So now I say, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you" (Judges 2:2,3).

As I read Your Word, LORD God, I become more and more cognizant of Your true desire for us.  You want us to have rich, full lives.  You want to glory in our fellowship with you, through the lives that we live  on this earth, lives that are fully in tune with You.  You want us to be free of the damaging, limiting effects of sinful habits. How we disappoint!  As the Israelites we too are so very reluctant to fully give up our selfish desires, which become as thorns in our sides and snares in our.  You never meant for us to live, lives tainted and marred by the sin we refuse to give up.

Because of this You allow hardships in our lives.  These hardships are not so much to punish, although they do that but they are more a way to bring  or point us back in the right direction, back to You!

“I from now on will also not drive out from before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died.  That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not” (2:21,22).

This is actually an encouragement,  You do not easily give up on us.  You allow the thorns and snares in our lives, that they might bring us to You!

Thorns are awful things.  According to the dictionary, thorns annoy, irritate, and vex.  They are a constant irritant.  One cannot be settled or comfortable if one has a thorn.  The idiom, "A thorn in one's side" means that it is a constant source of trouble.  And yet that You allow us to have these is because You love us.  You do not want us to become settled and comfortable in our sin.  You will not let us "settle" in our wayward life.

Snares are things that entrap and entangle one unawares.  Snares when used on animals can be deadly things .  They  maim and entrap, leading to death.  Often the animal will escape but with the loss of a limb.  And so it is with us.  We stray into places we have no business going.  You allow us to be caught unaware by snares, which cause us much hurt and often maim us for life.  Yet, the purpose of that snare is to stop us from continuing in the wrong behavior.

Romans 11:9 speaks about the snare of denying Christ, as when the Israelites did and God said, "“And David says, Let their table (their feasting, banqueting) become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a just retribution rebounding like a boomerang upon them."

I Timothy 6:9 speaks to the snare of seeking after riches.  “But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing."

Thank You, LORD God, for loving us so much that You will do whatever it takes to bring us to You.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Be Watchful!

Reading:  Joshua 20 - 24
My Verse:  "Be very watchful of yourselves, therefore, to love the LORD your God" (23:11).

I really like this admonition that Joshua gives to the Israelites as he prepares them for his death.  He tells them they are to be courageous and do all that is written in the Word.  He tells them to not turn to the left or to the right.  He tells them to "cling to the LORD their God."  Finally, he tells them to "be watchful of yourselves."

How important this is for us!  We need to be ever vigilant and watchful of ourselves!  It is way too easy to stray, to lose faith, to become disheartened, to disobey, to wander to the left or to the right.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Tim 4:16).

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" (Mat 7:15).

"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Mat 16:6).

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you" (Mat 24:4).

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mat 26:41).

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap" (Luke 21:34).

"Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise" (Eph. 5:15).

Because we are told so frequently throughout scripture to be watchful, we do well to pay attention and heed the warning!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Do Not Be Dismayed!

Reading:  Joshua 10 - 19
My Verse:  "Joshua said to them, Fear not nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage.  For thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you  fight" (10:25).

Joshua made this pronouncement after an amazing miracle and victory.  He wanted the Israelites to know that You, LORD God would continue to give them victories like this!  They needed to hear this as they were facing many more enemies, each seemingly stronger and more challenging than the last. They needed to remember that You will intercede when necessary!

How our lives follow this pattern.  We think we have come through some tremendous ordeal and then here comes another even more difficult trial!  Yet, You tell us through Joshua here that we are to not be dismayed.  That is a difficult thing, LORD God.  I am afraid I am with the Israelites here.  It is so easy to become dismayed, scared and discouraged.

We live so in the present time.  When one is in the midst of a trial it is hard to look back and remember the victories you gave us.  It is likewise hard to look ahead and trust in Your Love and graciousness.  The fear is so very real! The pain hurts!  One feels incapable of facing the fight.  One becomes blind in the glare of the oncoming threat!

The  chapters following Joshua's statement are an amazing account of Your glorious provision.  It is good to read this account of Your provision in the Israelite's time of need and be reminded that You do intercede in our lives when needed.  You know just when to step in and pick us up.

You certainly do not promise us easy - so many dreadful things happen in this world that we cannot even begin to understand.  The most recent incident is the Boston Marathon bombing.  So many  of these events seem so utterly senseless.  But we need to remember that you do promise us eventual victory.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

Oh, LORD God, thank You for Your encouraging Word!  Help me to hold onto these promises come what may.  Help me to not become paralyzed by fears and doubts but to look to You and be reminded that You love me more than I can possibly understand.  Help me to remember that  nothing can pluck me out of the palm of Your hand!

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:29).

We do have reason to not be dismayed, we need to learn how to live as You would have us to live!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Deception, Exposed!

Reading:  Joshua 6 - 9
My Verse:  "“And Achan answered Joshua, In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this have I done. When I saw among the spoils an attractive mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver" (6:20,21).

Ever since the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden deception  has been a huge part of our lives.  Someone seems always to be deceiving someone else, in one way or another, in big ways and in little ways.  The amazing thing is that  those deceptions are always exposed by Your revealing  light, LORD God.  The more amazing thing is that people know this and yet still enter into the act of deception, with the hope of getting away with it.

 Deception is defined as:  to cause to accept what is false or invalid, to cheat, to defraud, to betray, to beguile, to lie.

The Bible and all of literature is replete with stories of deception.  In this reading two such deceptions occur.  The first had truly devastating results.  The second seemed to actually serve the purpose of the deceivers and those that were deceived bore the blame.

In the first, You LORD God had given explicit directives against what the man, Achan ended up doing.  He saw and coveted forbidden things, ended up taking and hiding those forbidden things in his tent.  His act caused the death of other Israelites and finally the death of himself, and all his family.  In this case Achan, who blatantly disobeyed Your directive was directly to blame, while others suffered because of his deception, he also paid in full the price of it.

In the second act of deception a people, one of Israel's enemies pretended to be from a far away land because they did not want to be wiped out by the Israelites.  The Israelite “ men . . . did not consult The Lord" and entered into a treaty with these people that You LORD God had directed to be wiped out.  In this case the weight of blame seems to be on the Israelites who were deceived.  This is because they did not consult You.  This is an interesting thing here.  Is this to teach us, Your followers, that we need always to consult You before entering into agreements with others?

Deception, in its myriad forms ultimately ends up  not only hurting the person doing the deceiving but many others, often that person's own loved ones.  Like in the case of Achan, his entire family died with him.

Deception is one of those awful sins that we cannot escape on our own, its draw is too strong, too beguiling  and alluring for us to resist.  Deception can be likened to that deadly light the moth is drawn to.  Only You LORD God can keep us from it if we ask Your help. And only You, LORD God can mitigate the consequences of deception if we come clean before You.

"For there is nothing hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light" (Mark 4:22).

Ditat Deus -God Enriches!

Facing Huge Challenges

Reading:  Joshua 1 - 5
My Verse:  “Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (1:9).

Going forward the Israelites had incredible challenges before them.  First their great leader Moses has died.  They had a new leader, Joshua.  They were now at the edge of the land they were to go into, wage warfare for and conquer.  It must have all seemed a bit overwhelming.  Then You LORD God provided them with some seemingly strange and questionable directives.

What an incredible story unfolds as You lead them onward!

First that very strange event that happened to the spies Joshua sent into the town of Jericho.  Their strange encounter with the harlot, Rahab, who provided them safety and guidance.

Then the crossing of the Jordan - so similar to the crossing of the Red Sea.  You again did a great miracle.  This miracle not only ensured Your presence but also placed fear in the surrounding nations.

Then you required of them another strange, seemingly unwise event.  You required that all the men undergo circumcision.  This would mean right next to enemy territory, the men would be incapacitated for several days.  Yet, the people were obedient, and You protected.

Finally, that amazing story of Jericho.  The people had to wonder what they were doing marching around this city.  Then you provided that miraculous victory as the walls of Jericho crumbled and the city was taken.

Oh, LORD God, life on this earth is not a peaceful, gentle stroll.  You certainly did not promise us easy.  But You do promise that You will be with us through all the scariness.  I do find it hard to hang onto that at times.  I so often feel like the timid mouse, frightened of everything, wanting only to scamper away and hide.

You tell us to, "Be strong, vigorous, and courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed."  I need help here, LORD God.  I like what you tell me here and yet it is the living of it that I struggle with, how is this to look in my life?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” [This is] the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8–9).

Oh, LORD God, help me to hold onto this truth of You.  Like the Israelites, we too easily become dismayed in the face of big challenges, but we so do not know Your Ways!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!