Daily Devotion, August 10, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Judges 6:1-10.

The first word “again” in 6:1 catches our attention. “Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” How quickly the people have forgotten God’s faithfulness in delivering them which was their “Song of Victory” in Judges 5!

The Israelite people have turned away from God “again”. They have forgotten all that God has done for them and they have not listened to God’s instructions which were, “do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” They have begun to worship other gods. Here, even in the Promised Land, they feel abandoned by God, but God hears their cries. In verse 11, God sends an angel to call forth Gideon to be a prophet, deliverer and judge to lead the people.

The commentaries refer to Gideon as “timid”, at first. “Gideon’s story begins as faithful and dependent on God’s guidance, while at the same time timid, weak and afraid. Later, Gideon will become much bolder and stronger as a leader. But he will rely less on God.” Dr. Dennis T. Olson, The New Interpreter’s Bible.

The people of Israel returned to God. Through Gideon, God rescued them from the oppression of the Midianites, Amalelkites, and the other eastern peoples. God’s instruction is always to not worship other gods. God hears the cries of the people and delivers them and calls them to repentance.

This is not a message of “be good enough and I will reward you.” Dr. Larry Crabb writes, “You’ll notice a weary cycle is repeated (in this book of Judges) with no visible progress. Things actually get worse. People forget God because they focus on the good life more than on the ONE who provides it for them.” This is the message of grace that even in the midst of our forgetting God, God remembers us. God hears our cries. God calls us to repentance to deliver us and to bring us to life again!

Personal Worship Option:

God is gracious and God is faithful to keep the covenant. We too often forget all that God has done for us. Today, let us return to God with thanksgiving and lives of repentance. With God’s help, let us turn from our old ways. Let us allow our will to be transformed by God’s will into ways which lead to life and life everlasting.