Bible In One Year-Day 97 (Monday, April 07, 2014)

Commentary: Judges4-6. So far, we have read about five Judges in Israel; howbeit, they operated under the leading of the Spirit of God;

1 Samuel 2:9 “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”

If we look at how each of them was nominated by God, we could see it was to meet a particular need or a purpose. There is a pattern observable in the life style of the Israelites; sin, oppression, repentance, prayer, God’s intervention, the chosen and victory. Sin is disobedience and rebellion against God which leads into oppression. Oppression humbles one to repentance. Repentance from the heart (not by mouth or make believe kind of repentance) is the greatest means of repairing the damaged communication or relationship between man and God;

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

A repentant heart is never ashamed to expose and forsake the sinful act in confession. Hiding a committed sinful act without confession is not repentance, the devil still has a hold. One could break the hold of Satan by confession. Every prayer made under disguise, i.e. without genuine confession, is just a waste of time. This is the condition of those who pray in fear instead of faith. When your conscience is cleared of guilt after genuine repentance, faith comes in and then your prayer carries boldness and power. At this juncture, God intervenes. His intervention is not as we think for He could use the weakest thing just as He used Gideon;

Judges 6:15 “And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor (or weak, least) in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

In several places in the bible, we notice that God’s choice is by His Spirit. No one can do God’s work pleasingly and successfully without His Spirit (the Spirit of divine assignment). Even Jesus Christ testified about God’s Spirit in Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me …” Here is how God makes His choice for specific assignments. The choice of a leader by God is an answer to a cry and here lies humility. Many are CALLED but FEW are CHOSEN. If you are among the called and you decide to go for the duty or assignment of the chosen, you might be looking for trouble. If you are chosen, you will never forget the point of the agreement, a place where the covenant was struck. Gideon did not forget that place;

Judges 6:24 “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

That place is your reference point to which you could call God for intervention at every difficult time, confrontation or resistance while on the assignment. At that point or place, God is not angry at any question you ask Him, of course, He attends to your curiosities. However, at that place, you lay down your will for God’s will; the first thing to do away with is Mr. Flesh. God will always live a remarkable sign that you will never forget. The first sign is the leprosy hiding in your life just as He showed Moses on the mountain. This marks the beginning of victory. Where is your Shalom? Your Shalom is that place where you lay down your will for God’s will. It is a place where you receive INNER PEACE; it is not a feeling but an experience; a place of divine transaction; a contact point. It is a place of reinventing or re-branding. You can never remain the same after leaving that point because you would have been totally transformed and changed into purpose and meaning;

1 Samuel 10:6 “And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.”

The Spirit of God is the only one that could give peace in the face of troubles. Every other person may oppose, resist, leave and abandon you, the Spirit of God must not leave you.

Zechariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Our next reading is Judges7-9. Keep the fire burning and alive.