The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 7 March 2020 – Spiritual Cycle
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TOPIC: Spiritual Cycle
READ: JUDGES 2:11-23 (NKJV)
11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals;
12 and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from [among] the gods of the people who [were] all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.
13 They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.
16 Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so.
18 And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.
19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
20 Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,
21 “I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,
22 “so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept [them,] or not.”
23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
THE MESSAGE:
Our reading yesterday indicated that the people served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him. However, when Joshua and the leaders died, there was a complete U-turn – the next generation forsook the Lord. We see from today’s reading what followed. The spiritual life of the people now depended more on their leaders than on God. When they sinned, God handed them over to their enemies to deal with them. When they cried to the Lord, the Lord would send a Judge who would serve as a deliverer. While the Judge was alive, all the people would be ‘born again!’ Once the Judge died, everyone would go back to their normal ways of following the gods of the nations until the same cycle was repeated.
Many people just maintain a routine spiritual life. Nothing seems to excite or move them spiritually now. Some even personally become judges to check how qualified those that are to teach them the word of God are! Their spiritual life now moves in cycles with no particular direction. There is no real spiritual growth. Is that where you are now? May you cry to God today to come to your rescue! The Spirit of God is always available to renew your spiritual life. Invite Him today.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may You hear my heart-cry and revive me again!
