Daily Bible Devotionals

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Judges 7. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“The Angel of the Lord came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’” Judges 6:11-12 (HCSB)

Most believers in Jesus have a favorite Biblical hero of the faith. We’d all love to be more like Jesus, but we generally choose guys like the apostle Paul or King David to identify. Ladies may choose Ruth or Esther.

Personally, I can identify with Gideon. He never considered himself a hero. He was just trying to get by. When we first meet Gideon, the Midianites raided Israel during harvest time. Gideon was secretly threshing his grain indoors because he was afraid of the Midianite raiders.

I identify with Gideon because he had no idea he was about to become a leader. As a matter of fact, he just wanted to be left alone. Gideon wished he were invisible, yet God was about to thrust him into the spotlight.

Because Gideon’s faith was low, he couldn’t visualize himself as a leader. So when the Angel of the Lord visited Gideon, He first pronounced Gideon as God created him: “Mighty Warrior.” God was letting Gideon know He desired to lead Israel through Gideon. God would be Gideon’s strength; therefore, an otherwise weak and low-esteemed individual was about to be at the center of God’s miraculous deliverance!

How do you view yourself? Are you a leader? More importantly, are you willing to let God lead you? If so, be prepared for the Lord to visit you during times of great trauma and stress. In a moment when you feel all hope is lost, perhaps, God may call you to act in a courageously faithful manner so that you can experience the victory, which is reserved for those who trust the Lord.

Are you willing to follow Him anywhere, anytime? Then the Lord is with you, mighty warrior!

“On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang: When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, praise the Lord. Listen kings! Pay attention princes! I will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.” Judges 5:1-3 (HCSB)

Judges 5 is a song written on the heels of Israel’s defeat of Jabin, king of Canaan, and most notably, Sisera, his commander. It is one of the oldest songs in the Bible, which piques my interest, for I am a songwriter.

The song of Deborah is at once a historic retelling, rebuke, and exhortation.

As a historic text, it fills-in information not included in the battle’s original telling in Judges 4. For instance, the reader gains knowledge of which tribes fought and which ones ignored the call to battle. In the historic telling, all who hear the song are reminded of the faithful, the faithless, the lazy, the self-absorbed, and the fearful. Reuben had a searching of heart, Gilead ignored the call and chose to remain beyond the Jordan, Dan lingered at its ships, and Asher stayed in the safety of its harbors.

None of us is perfect, so we all have varied opinions on accountability. Generally, people would rather hold others accountable, yet they become overly sensitive the closer the accounting comes to their personal issues!

People are generally afraid and embarrassed about being called into account. It helps us to understand that the purpose of accountability is not to keep people “down.” Accountability exposes the root sin in our hearts, which is behind our destructive behaviors, attitudes, or thoughts. Once sin can be identified, it can be overcome. Accountability lifts us.

“…even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things.” 1 John 3:20 (HCSB)

“…because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4b (HCSB)

Deborah was exposing the sin of the tribes who failed to fight to exhort and encourage them into following the Lord henceforth.

Deborah’s exhortation is one of cause and effect: When Israel’s leaders chose new gods, war came to its gates, and there was not a shield or spear to be found among 40,000 men. When its leaders led by trusting the Lord, people volunteered, and their faith ignited a chain reaction and encouraged a nation, resulting in victory. Let’s choose to fight!

“The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud had died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years.” Judges 4:1-3 (HCSB)

Judges 4 is a story of salvation, and today’s passage underscores Israel’s need for salvation: “The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” So the Lord “sold” them to another “master,” Jabin, and Jabin assigned them to his taskmaster, Sisera, who, with his force of 900 iron chariots, crushed Israel very efficiently. Israel is, again, in need of both physical deliverance (from Jabin and Sisera) and spiritual deliverance (their bondage to sin).

We should take note of the cycle of Israel’s sin: “again did what was evil.” (Evil = Baal worship; see 2:11). You see, it is difficult to be creative in sin. There is a certain monotony about sin because most of it has been done before, so we are doomed to repeat the same sins over and over. Sin is boring and routine (as are all habits), void of fresh excitement. The fast lane quickly becomes an old rut after a few laps. Evil never lends itself to originality; hence, there are two problems: Slavery and Staleness.

These verses allude to the pressurized piety of Israel: “after Ehud had died.” It was after Ehud died that Israel again did evil. This is a sample of what 2:19 was talking about. Take away the external restraint, and Israel displays her true character. There is something wrong with religion when its degree of fidelity depends solely on outside pressures, influences, and leadership. Thus, we are “Christian” only because of our surroundings or because of the expectations of believers around us. That scenario of forced piety/morality indicates a lack of a genuine internal work of God.

I once saw a T-shirt in a New Orleans souvenir shop that read: Jesus is coming. Everyone, look busy! That pretty much defines the “faith” of many people attending churches today. True faith is displayed by how you act and think when nobody is watching, knowing all the while that we are never hidden from the watchful eye of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

All that being said, when the influence Ehud exerted was taken away, Israel showed her real colors again. That is why genuine salvation consists not of giving glowing testimonies (like deliverance from Moab in chapter 3) but in departing from evil (2 Timothy 2:19). Not in relating glorious experiences with God but in living a consistent life (1 John 2:3-5, 3:9).

“These are the nations the Lord left in order to test Israel, since the Israelites had fought none of these in any of the wars with Canaan. This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before.” Judges 3:1-2 (HCSB)

Make no doubt about it. The Lord was not pleased with Israel at this moment. Israel had sinned against Him by failing to drive out the former inhabitants of Canaan. Adonai had promised to ensure victory for each tribe who fought faithfully and boldly. So, what are we to make of this statement that God left some nations in Canaan to teach future generations of Israelites how to fight?

I am glad to know that God is not just the God of the “second chance.” (I used up my second chance years ago.) Rather, I rejoice in knowing that God is the God of “another chance.” Do you remember what Paul told the Church in Rome?

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those are called, according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

God will accomplish His purposes, regardless of our decisions. If we choose to obey and follow Him, He elects to go before us and bless us. If we choose to disregard the Lord, He will still accomplish His purposes while rebuking us. His will is not bound by our decisions, but our peace with Him is.

God had (and still has today) great purposes for Israel. (Romans 11) In Judges 3, Israel had settled among the Canaanites. Instead of driving them out, Israel had chosen to take Canaanite daughters as wives for themselves, give their own daughters to their sons, and worship their gods.

Israel’s choice of “inter-national” compromise ensured inevitable future warfare with those nations. This was not God’s desire for Israel. But His gracious mercy toward Israel was that He parlayed their bad faith decisions into a teaching scenario.

The Israelites needed rebuke because they had forsaken the Lord. On the other hand, they also needed to be preserved as a nation because God was raising up Messiah Jesus through their bloodline. All things worked together for the greater good of God’s purpose.

Ask yourself: Do you want God’s purpose for your life to be advanced by His GRACE through your faithful obedience or by His REBUKE to spite your rebellion?

“The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works He had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done in Israel.” Judges 2:7-10 (HCSB)

The generation that entered the land of Canaan with Joshua had seen the great works of the Lord! This was especially true for the eldest of that generation. As children, they had experienced God’s redemption from Egypt, His provision in the desert as young adults, and His deliverance into Canaan as old men. They had known the Lord’s great Grace because of His promise to their forefathers and His abundant mercy despite their sin.

One thing that the “deliverance generation” had failed to do was to communicate all their lessons to their children. They had failed to transfer the value of following God to the point where the next generation did not even know the Lord or the works He had done in Israel.

Their attitude towards building up the next generation was in direct disregard for the Lord’s command:

“Listen Israel, and be careful to follow them (the Lord’s commandments), so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey. Listen, Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:3-9 (HCSB)

I have experienced both great grace and abundant mercy from the Lord. Allow me to encourage you to continue walking life’s path with me! Indulge me to retell my story in bite-sized daily installments and to impart Scripture lessons so that you will know the Lord and His works. This is so that you will be prepared to be 1) leaders in your generation and 2) impassioned to equip the next.

“The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, had gone up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah, which was in the Negev of Arad. They went to live among the people.” Judges 1:16 (NCSB)

The term “to go up” in the Jewish mindset denotes more than a person’s direction of travel. The Hebrew word is “aliyah” (ah-lee-‘yah). Aliyah is representative of “going up” to Jerusalem to worship.

Because modern Israel is a Jewish state, its government recognizes the birthright of all Jews throughout the world to immigrate. This process of repatriation is called “making aliyah.” In essence, by allowing Jews to immigrate, the State of Israel provides Jews the opportunity to “go up” and worship the Lord in Jerusalem.

When the Bible makes the point of including Moses’ “non-Jewish” relatives settling in the land as “going up,” it sends a powerful message. That is, Gentiles WERE allowed to settle in the land, and God considered them quite different from the Canaanites who fought against Israel. Moses’ in-laws had a legitimate, God-honoring place among God’s people.

There is no Old Testament Biblical record of the Lord denying any Gentile who honestly seeks to know and follow Him. On the other hand, He will rebuke and chastise His own children who turn away from Him.

The hope of this passage is that God wants for ALL men to come unto repentance, and He always has wanted it that way. He chose for the Kenites to be included alongside the Israelites as legitimate settlers. At the risk of being redundant, it is important for us to remember that God has always allowed Gentiles to believe in Him. Furthermore, He has always accepted those Gentiles (who converted from idolatry to Him) to be included alongside His own people. For example, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (the wife of the Hittite) were all Gentile women; yet we find them listed in the Davidic/Messianic genealogy of Matthew 1. Consider the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“No foreigner who has joined (converted) himself to the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will exclude me from His people.’” Isaiah 56:3a (HCSB)

These days (since the resurrection of Jesus), our spiritual identity is also not determined by our genetic bloodline; it is Messiah’s blood that counts! The test of a true follower of God is not, “Who’s your daddy?” Rather, it is, “Who’s your Father?”

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Joshua 24. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“So be very diligent to love the Lord your God for your own well being. For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry or associate with them and they with you, know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you. They will become a snare and a trap for you, a scourge for your sides and thorns in your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God has given you.” Joshua 23:11-13 (HCSB)

You may have heard it said that Jesus paid the penalty for the sin of the World. We are all spiritually bankrupt, yet Jesus willfully chose to pay off our balance. In addition, He has promised to fill our accounts with His unending righteousness if we would, by faith, receive it by turning from our sin and following Him.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

When reading that verse, “He made Him,” you may interpret it as saying that God made Jesus do something He would not otherwise have chosen, but Scripture clearly says that Jesus willingly laid down His own life because of His love for sinful mankind.

“This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.” John 10:17-18 (HCSB)

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ (Messiah) died for us.” Romans 5:8 (HCSB)

Joshua told Israel what the consequences of their sin would be, if they turned away from God. Their judgment would be a process of spiritual and national decline: God would cease driving away their enemies, and they would become ensnared by their enemies, trapped, scourged, and thorns would blind them until they disappeared from the land of Canaan.

Consider how Jesus paid Israel’s sin penalty compared to Joshua’s (above) exhortation. Messiah truly has borne the penalty for Israel’s turning away from God!

“So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they struck Him with their hands.” John 19:1-3 (NKJV)

Jesus has done the same for you and me. Moreover, by virtue of His resurrection, He is alive today and offers us eternal life if we repent and follow Him.