– Scripture:

                Lessons Come Every Day

These are the nations that God left there, using them to test the Israelites who had no experience in the Canaanite wars. He did it to train the descendants of Israel, the ones who had no battle experience, in the art of war. He left the five Philistine tyrants, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to Hamath’s Pass. They were there to test Israel and see whether they would obey God’s commands that were given to their parents through Moses. But the People of Israel made themselves at home among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They married their daughters and gave their own daughters to their sons in marriage. And they worshiped their gods.

                          Judges 3:1–6 MSG

 – Reflection:

Do you ever consider how God might test you? It’s a difficult thing to think about, I know. When hard times come, people say, “The Lord is testing my faith.” It’s hard for me to imagine God subjecting us to suffering as a way of testing our faith. To be sure, the concept of God putting the faithful to the test is certainly to be found in Scripture.  In the case of Judges 3, the test is not a challenging life circumstance but rather having neighbors. They were not supposed to become friendly and marry or become a part of that community that was already there.

 – Where do we go from here?

When the people of Israel were supposed to keep the Sabbath, the Canaanites were out conducting business as usual.  This must have been a challenging test for the people of Israel.  When they were eating matzo ball soup, the people of the world were enjoying cheeseburgers, low country boils, and oyster roasts.  That had to be tempting! GOD used the people that were left on the mountain as tests for his people. He wanted them to keep the commandments Moses and Joshua taught them for all those years. Yet they are blending in and not doing as GOD’s people should have, which should have been trying to help those who were worshipping false gods not to do so. Who in your life currently do you think is placed there to test your faith? How do you view you your relationship with them as it tests your faith?

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank you for the life you have for us and the expectations that we put on each and every day, embracing the work you have for us. It is those of us who are to keep your Word and be a light on a hill for those who are lost. We are going to continue to be that. We honor you with what we do and don’t do. It is because of you that we are safe in your arms. In Jesus’s name. Amen