Today’s Reading Judges 3-5
Focal Scripture: Judges 3:12 “The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He gave King Eglon of Moab power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight.”
Everyone wants to be remembered for something good. Having a reputation that is negative is not something someone aspires to happen to them in their life. However, it does happen from time to time. Here in these accounts the Israelites continually do what is evil in the Lord’s eyes. They continue this pattern of sin and do not learn from their mistakes.
In this account of scripture we see that even though the Israelites are committing evil and being held responsible for it God continues to provide deliverance. The judges came in and delivered the people from their oppressors. God shows them mercy even when they are behaving in a way that is immoral and evil. These accounts show more of God’s heart for his people then his judgement. God wants his people to be successful. He continually provides opportunities for them to repent. Unfortunately, they choose sin every time.
So what lesson needs to be learned from this today. First, God takes sin very seriously. It is an affront to his character and his expectations. Sin is evil to the Lord and that is all sin that a person can commit. This matters because people today try to justify their actions and do not understand the ramifications between themselves and God. Sin causes separation and it takes someone to restore fellowship.
Over my years I have seen people treat sin like it is not big deal. They miss that sin causes someone to be unclean. It causes an animal to be sacrificed. It demands that death take place. Sin is serious and God deems it evil. To change the story believers today must take all sin as serious as God does. Especially our own personal sins. If we treated sin the way God did it would change our decision making and our worship.
I challenge you today to view sin as God does. As evil and something that can’t be tolerated. Then let that thought process encourage you throughout the day and try to eliminate sin in your daily walk. This pursuit of hating sin will drive you to a closer walk with the Lord.
Tomorrow I plan on reading Judges 6-7
