In order to
get an idea of where the people of Israel find themselves at the beginning of
the book of Judges we need to consider the last chapter of Joshua. Joshua recounts in Joshua 24 of what the Lord
God had done for the people of Israel. He
speaks of Abraham being the father of many and how He delivered him through the
land of Canaan. Then there was Isaac,
Jacob and Esau. We read of Moses and
Aaron leading the people and how God brought the Israelites safely out of Egypt
and through the Red Sea. The Israelites
fought different enemies along the way and God gave them into the Israelites
hands. God said that He had given the
Promised Land to the Israelites and it was a land where they had not labored and
yet everything was there for them to live.
God provided for His people.
In Joshua 24:14
it goes onto say that because of this they are to serve God with sincerity and
with faithfulness. Joshua commends the
people to put away false gods and to serve God wholeheartedly. Just as there was a choice for the people of
Israel to make so there is a choice for us to make also. What or who do we serve? Joshua asked the people to choose whom they
serve this day. As we start a new year I
propose the same question all those years ago that Joshua posed the people of
Israel. Whom are you serving? I trust as you read this that you have
already made the wiser choice.
The
Israelites answered Joshua by acknowledging all the things that God had done
for them in the past. Joshua warned them
of the consequences of not following God.
There would be discipline for disobedience. However, the Israelites were emphatic that
they would serve the Lord. He asks them
to put away the foreign gods amongst them and give themselves to God
alone. A covenant or agreement was made
that day of rules and statutes that the people would follow. These words were written in the Book of the
Law of God. A stone was put in place to
remind the people of their agreement that day.
What reminders are we putting in place so that we might live in
agreement with the promises we have made to God to follow Him unreservedly?
In Joshua 24:31
it tells us that Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the
elders who outlived Joshua and who knew the work that the Lord had done for
Israel. What an amazing influence Joshua had over the people for many
years. Joshua was faithful to God and
made a huge impact on the lives of those he led.
What about you and me?
How do we influence those
around us?
I read the following
from Warren Wiersbe’s book entitled Be Available. I share it with you for your encouragement.
“D L Moody
was talking with his friend Henry Varley, who said, “Moody, the world has yet
to see what God will do with a man full consecrated to Him.” The phrase startled. Moody made no comment at the time but devoured
Varley’s words, sucked at them, digested, regurgitated them for days and
weeks: “The world has yet to see what
God can do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly consecrated
to Him….A man! Varley meant any
man. Varley didn’t say he had to be
educated, or brilliant, or anything else.
Just a man. Well, by the Holy
Spirit in me, I’ll be that man.”
Warren
Wiersbe says the following “The rest is history as D L Moody, a former shoe
salesman, became one of the greatest evangelists in history. In addition, Moody founded the great Moody
Church in Chicago, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts,
the Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers. How did this ordinary man accomplish so much
for the Kingdom of God? He simply made
himself available…”
Warren
Wierbse goes onto challenge his readers and asks the question are we making
ourselves available? What about us? Sometimes
apathy takes over, sometimes we just get busy doing but are we busy going
around doing the right thing? All
questions we need to ponder once in a while.
