- Judges 3 Daily DEVO But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. Judges 3:9 – I want to highlight this verse not only for today, but also for the next couple weeks as we go through Judges. This will happen over and over and over and see how Israel responds. They cry out, God hears and provides, yet once the provision is gone they turn back to the very thing they cried out for God to save them from in the beginning. This is the theme of Judges. Notice this theme as we continue in this book, but more so notice if this theme is within your life. Do you have a habit of turning back to the things God saved you from when in need again or do you the again turn to God who helped you before? Don’t go back to what God rescues you from, it hasn’t changed but you have. Don’t allow yourself to be the old you anymore, live in this new life that God has given you and stay there. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 583
- Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. Judges 3:1-2 – There was a clear reason why God left the other nations there. In order for Israel to complete the mission God had called them to which was to take the land for themselves they would have to fight. Yet, as we see here in our passage, they didn’t know the art of war. So God gave them what they needed in order to grow them and to equip them for their calling. Opposition and struggle in our story most often has purposes like this as well. Maybe it’s to teach you for a future struggle, maybe it’s to sharpen your focus on God, maybe it’s to give you the experience needed to guide someone else later down the line through that same sort of struggle. Whatever the reason is we see there is a reason. Sometimes in the struggle, just knowing their is a reason behind it is enough. Know then as you faithfully pursue Jesus and encounter struggles that there is a reason for that season. Maybe that reason is for you, maybe it’s for someone else, but God has a purpose for it. Remain steady after Him and allow God to shape you as needed for your calling. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1786
- After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. Judges 3:31 – An oxgoad was a tool that caretakers of oxen would use. It was a stick about 8 feet long, 6 inches around, with a point on one end and a chisel on the other. Truly there was nothing special about an oxgoad and nothing uniquely holy about this oxgoad, except that it was given to the Lord to be used for Him. Compare this to Moses’ staff that was used to part the Red Sea or to bring water out of the rock. Or compare this to the slingshot of David that took down Goliath. All these things were just sticks and pieces of leather, but when used for God’s glory, God used them in powerful ways. What then is in your hands today that can be given over to the Lord to be used for His glory today? If you have a car, how could that be used to bring God glory? If you have a cell phone, how could that be used to bring God glory? If you have a pen, how could that bring God glory? All such things are simple things we possess, yet if we are willing to let God use the things in our life, He can bring about great things. If God can use sticks, stones, and leather straps to bring about rescue for His people, imagine what He could do with the things you possess! Today, pick something that you normally have with you during the day and dwell on how you could uniquely use this today for the Lord. Let’s use everything God has blessed us with to bring Him glory. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2859
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