#DailyDevotion Do You Continually Turn From God’s Ways & Then Cry Out For Help?
Psalm 78 54He brought them into His holy land, to these hills His right hand had won. 55He drove out the nations before them, and gave them their land as an inheritance. He settled Israel’s tribes in their tents. 56Still they tempted God and rebelled against the Most High and didn’t live by His truth. 57They left Him and became traitors like their fathers, turning like a bow you can’t trust. 58They made Him angry by worshiping on their high places, and made Him jealous with their idols.
The LORD was faithful to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He settled their stiff-necked descendants in the land He promised them. He increased their number as He promised them. He fought for them, driving out the nations before them. What did the Israelites do? They didn’t live by the covenant He made with them at Horeb. They worshiped in places not given to them. They made idols and worshiped them. They betrayed the trust of the LORD their God.
How well are we doing living by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the Plain? Do we continue to follow the teachings of Jesus’ apostles given us in the New Testament? Do we trust in Jesus Christ’s work alone for our salvation? Do we pick up our cross and follow Him?
59God heard them and became furious. He vehemently rejected Israel 60and abandoned His home in Shiloh, the tabernacle where He lived among people. 61He let His strength be captured and His glory go into the enemies’ hands.
The history of Israel given in Judges is summarized by these verses and the verses that follow. How quickly do they turn aside remembering the LORD and not passing down His teachings. In turn, to call them to repentance, he let those who worshiped the same false gods they did rule over them. He even allowed His ark to be captured. Since the Israelites didn’t want the LORD, He would leave them and live among the pagans.
62He let the sword kill His people and was furious with His own. 63Fire consumed their young men, and no wedding song praised their girls. 64The sword struck down their priests, and their widows couldn’t even weep.
The pagans among whom the Israelites lived were not all driven out at once to keep the wild animal population down. However, because the Israelites did not remain faithful to God, the LORD, He sent the pagan people to kill His own as punishment and to call the remaining peoples to repentance. Again and again, they would go through this cycle like a drunkard. They would turn to living like their pagan neighbors. God would allow the pagans to rule over them. They would repent, “If you save us, we’ll never do that again.” The LORD would deliver them.
How well are we doing with this in our own lives? Do we live just like our neighbors? Can they tell we are Christians by our love for one another? Do they see us living pious, peaceful and gentle lives worshiping our LORD Jesus Christ or do we live just like them? Does our faith in Christ Jesus’ work alone for our salvation free us from sin and its troubles? Is our life attractive to unbelievers?
Let us repent of our unfaithfulness and not return to our past sins. Jesus has freed us from slavery to sin and the fear of death. While we may bear our cross it promises joy and glory everlasting in the world to come. Let’s not live short-sighted lives living only for pleasures today. We have eternity to live.
Heavenly Father, give us Your Holy Spirit, that we may live godly and repentant lives now so we may enjoy a godly life and eternal pleasures from Your hand. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.