The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 6:14,
"The Lord turned to him [Gideon] and said, 'Go in the strength you
have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?'"
As the Israelites repeatedly turned from the Lord, the Lord brought
them distress, that they might recognize their need of him. He did
this out of his love for Israel as he is, has been, and ever will be
the only means by which any nation might find deliverance, resolution,
salvation, extrication from the collective sinful nature of its people
and the consequences that collective sinful nature brings. God loves
the people of the world and seeks to draw as many into his kingdom as
he can. The only purpose any nation exists is to find its place in
God's great agenda of building his kingdom. When a nation ultimately
ceases to respond to the Lord, as well as his attention-getting
efforts, it ceases to be useful to this end and discovers the
threshold of God's ultimate judgment in the ash heap of the world's
failed nations.
It is apparent that distress is one means the Lord uses to draw
nations to himself, that they might reach out to him. "From one man he
[God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole
earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places
where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and
perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each
one of us." Acts 17:26-27.
As Israel would come to it's senses through divinely crafted distress,
and cry out to the Lord, he would raise up a judge or leader to
provide his deliverance. In the book of Judges there is a succession
of these the Lord used. He always, or often worked through someone. We
read of some thirteen people in the book of Judges (if my count is
right) followed by Eli in 1 Samuel and Samuel prior to the kings that
began to reign in Israel.
If I didn't know any better, I might think the Lord uses these
accounts, which seem to follow a pattern of repetition in many
respects, to get it through my thick head that God provides
deliverance out of a love for people and he seems to do so through a
deliverer. In Judges we read of folks like Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar,
Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon
and Samson who served as Judges or leaders in the nation when the Lord
provided deliverance.
On a personal level, I discover I have my own sinful nature that
leaves me in need deliverance. A brief reading of Romans tells me
without God's intervention I face his certain judgment for my sin -
here is the distress I face. I discover he has, just as in the history
of the life of Israel, provided a deliverer for me. "This is good, and
pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for
all men..." 1 Timothy 2:3-6a. Just as the judges in Israel's history,
God uses him to bring me deliverance from my distress.
It is interesting to see how God uses the history of Israel to teach
us about how he does what he does, even in our day. "For everything
that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through
endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Romans 15:4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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