-- Monday, 7/5/10 -- GET OFF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND -- Judges 2:11-20
J.R. & Bonnie Ricks
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PRAYERS PLEASE… J.R.’s not feeling “right” – and says that if he doesn’t improve in a little while, he wants me to take him to the ER for an EKG. Please pray that this is nothing – that he’s just tired. He’s not having anything at all similar to what happened when he had the heart attack last year, but he’s feeling a little anxious about how he feels right now.
We’ll both appreciate your prayers greatly!
God bless,
Bonnie
GET OFF THE MERRY-GO-ROUND -- Judges 2:11-20 NIV
Take a close look at this passage because it's a blueprint for the continuing merry-go-round of Israel. These five situations will repeat themselves over and over and over again throughout the book of Judges. It goes like this:
(1) The people do evil in the sight of God. They don't drive out the bad guys, so they are strongly influenced by the pagan religions and practices around them. They rebel. They refuse to listen to what God has told them and their forefathers. They worship the pagan gods. They participate in the ungodly activities of their neighbors. So…
(2) God allows them to be overrun by their enemies. He quits helping them in battle. He lets them stand on their own so they will fall.
(3) Then God sends in a deliverer - a God-fearing Judge to take charge and lead the people back to the way God would have them live. Realizing they've been rescued by God through this person…
(4) they remain faithful to God throughout the rule of that particular judge. Then, almost on cue, when that judge dies…
(5) the people of Israel forget God once again.
Some people wonder why the people of Israel never seemed to learn which side their bread was buttered on. You'd think they would figure it out after a while, don't you? Isn't it remarkable that they kept doing the same thing over and over and over again? Actually, no. It's not remarkable at all. As a matter of fact, the remarkable thing is that they could last – that is, remain loyal to God - for such extended periods of time.... 20 years, 30 years, 40 years... before turning away. After all, look at your life and mine. Some of us do well to remain loyal to God throughout an entire week, much less 40 years!
We live in a world where the pagan influence on our lives is even greater than what the Israelites had to face. We are surrounded by pagan religions. Our workplaces, our schools, our entertainment, even our churches are permeated by thinking that bears no resemblance to what the Bible teaches about God's ways… so each of us is continually bombarded with the temptation to think and to do things the world's way - not God's. The world's way is more logical. The world's way is easier. The world's way is much more enticing. So we jump back onto the same merry-go-round the Israelites rode - rebelling against God, getting in trouble, being delivered, remaining loyal for a while, then jumping back onto the merry-go-round once again.
If you’re tired of that dizzying ride, why don’t you climb off that merry-go-round and get with the program? Stay in step (4) and remain faithful to God in everything you do and say and think. Your life will be blessed for it.
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