Word at Work December 9, 2014

Word at Work December 8, 2014
December 8, 2014
Word at Work December 10, 2014
December 10, 2014

Word at Work December 9, 2014

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9
Scripture: Judges 3:5-10

Judges 3:5-10 says, “Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.” The issue of being a judge in Israel was receiving an anointing from God to deliver the nation that was held in captivity due to their sin. Verse 10 makes it clear that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, and the fruit of that was he went to war and destroyed Cushan-Rishathaim. As a result of Kenaz going to war and destroying the oppressive king, Israel and the land had rest for 40 years. The Spirit of the Lord came upon men, they went out and killed the oppressive enemy and as a result of God’s Spirit, enabling them to kill their oppressive enemy, deliverance came to the nation. In effect, they judged the evil that was oppressing Israel, went to war with it and killed the individuals perpetrating it. The very next judge, Ehub, is a perfect example. He made a very long dagger and with it he killed Eglon, King of Moab. As a result, he brought deliverance and freedom to Israel. The judges executed God’s judgment. And it gives us a clear picture of what it means to walk in the way of the Lord. If we keep the ways of the Lord and walk in righteousness, we can pray judgment and watch God execute it. Walking with the Lord and obtaining justice through praying judicially, is not a complex matter. It is simply obtaining justice through first righteousness and second praying judgment until God executes it. This process, of course, happens under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. It is obvious that we are told that God left all the tribes that Joshua had not destroyed in order to test Israel as to whether or not they would keep the way of the Lord. What is in our life and what is in the life of our nation today that is testing the church as to whether or not we are keeping the way of the Lord? Choose righteousness. Identify those who shed innocent blood with their policies and pray the judicial penalty on their head. Walk in shalom (soundness, wholeness, completeness) and let God orchestrate the elimination of the wicked!