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!