READING: Judges 1-4
If I read only a portion of today’s reading in the book of Judges, my heart would only leap. Look at these texts, for example:
- “The Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them” (Judg 1:4)
- “The Lord was with Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country” (Judg 1:19)
- “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.” (Judg 2:7)
But . . . the story hardly ends there. Even though the people had seen the power of God evident among them, they failed to drive the enemy out of the land (in fact, the text echoes with this ominous reality). They did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and invoked His anger and judgment. Only His gracious act of raising up judges and leading the people to repentance—at least for a time—brought them hope.
Lest I judge them too harshly, though, I must remember today that I’m sometimes just as fickle as they were. Today’s mighty display of God’s presence is no guarantee of tomorrow’s obedience.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Does your life show this same pattern?
DAILY PRAYER: “Forgive me, God, for how quickly I sometimes forget Your blessings and choose idols instead.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Judges 5-7