Judges (Program #5) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (4)

The Bible begins with the story of Adam and how he gained a wife, Eve. In the New Testament of course we find out that Adam is a type of Christ, the very God and Eve, a type of God’s people, the Church.  So, from the beginning the Bible becomes a book of the marriage of God Himself with His people.  Yet by chapter 3 of Genesis, God’s enemy comes in to seduce man, to forsake God as their husband.  The result of this separation or divorce is the story of the chaotic history of mankind. Whatever nation, whatever group, whatever person forsakes God to become involves in something else ends up in a chaotic situation.  Israel’s history has seen this story repeated again and again in a cycle after cycle and soberly as we consider the situation even in the church, we’ see the same thing today.

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Judges (Program #4) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (3)

During a very difficult time in Israel’s history the Lord raised up Gideon to be a judge and ruler. Initially great victories were afforded under Gideon’s leadership and the account of his successes stands as the most glorious of those recorded in the book of Judges. His success can be attributed to 4 glorious factors of his relationship with Jehovah. However shortly after these successes he succumbed to serious temptations.  These ultimately overtook him and all of Israel eventually suffered as a consequence. These factors remained as major stumbling blocks to many of God’s people and especially to many leading ones among God’s people today.  We will look at the factors of both Gideon success and his failures on our program.

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Judges (Program #3) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (2)

If God’s people are to enjoy all the benefits of their relationship with Him, it is necessary for them to maintain this relationship in a proper way. In reality God is the king, the unique husband and the Head over all things. That means His people must be under Him, submissive and subject to Him in a tender and intimate way . But in much of the history of God’s people they rejected Him in His headship always resulting in a condition of His people falling lower and lower and been evidenced by defeat after defeat at the hands of the various enemies of God’s people.  At such times we occasionally see Jehovah acting in an extra ordinary way to jolt his people into the realization of their actual condition. Such a time existed in the book of Judges after the death of Joshua, God chosen leader over Israel as the people turned away from Him and their enemies began to prevail, God responded by raising up not a mighty king to lead Israel back to victory but rather He raised up Deborah, a female.  Though she was very capable, she was the one who lived in submission and in subjection to Him.

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Judges (Program #2) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (1)

In the history of the children of Israel God had manifested Himself to Israel in many aspects.  He fought for them as a warrior against Pharaoh and his armies, becoming their protector when they were still in Egypt. Then He supplied them with water and food in the wilderness as the source of all their living for more than 40 years. In addition He cared for them not just as a father but more so as their king.  Eventually He unveiled to them His deepest longing and that was to be a husband to them and for them to be a bride, a pure and chaste wife to Him.  But again and again Israel turned away from Him as their husband and as their king. At least 4 times, in the book of Judges we see the same words, “In those days, there were no kings in Israel, every man did what was right in his own eyes.”  How much these words must had offended Jehovah, Who had revealed Himself so faithfully to Israel again and again. But His love is greater than the weaknesses of His people, so He appeared to them again, not as a king not even as their husband but as a servant, a slave to minister to them in their poor condition and lowest state.

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Judges (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

The first chapter of the book of Judges records the marvelous story of Judah and Caleb fighting against the Canaanites after the death of Joshua. Jehovah displayed again that He was with Israel and that they can trust Him to fight with and for them against their enemy. But just as an unfaithful wife forsake her husband thereby damaging their marriage Israel eventually forsook Jehovah.

Listen to Judges 2 : 11-13  “And the children of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah and served the Baals. And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out from the land of Egypt; and they followed after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who surrounded them; and they worshipped them and provoked Jehovah to anger. And they forsook Jehovah and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. Then the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of plunderers; and they plundered them. And He sold them into the hand of their enemies around them, and they were no longer able to stand before their enemies.”

From this point on the book of Judges becomes an ugly history a failure and humiliation for Israel as she turned from the purity and enjoyment of her days as a bride to Jehovah, becoming a harlot in His eyes.

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Joshua (Program #3) – Spying Out the Land

The books of history in the Old Testament like Joshua are rich with stories but if we view them in light of the entire divine revelation, we see them far more than just great and inspiring stories. We see God in the move of His economy in Christ, working in, with and through His chosen people to possess Christ, to gain Christ and even to spread Christ.

Joshua chapter 2 is one of these portions in the Bible where it’s easy to be caught up in the marvelous story, the story of a harlot Rehab and two spies but it is also a chapter rich in revelation of God’s move on earth. Yes, the story of Rehab, the gentile harlot who exercised faith to join herself to God’s move and to His people and eventually had a honored place in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

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Joshua (Program #2) – God’s Commission

Whenever we look at history, we should be able to see the hidden history within history. Because the history of mankind is actually the history of God in His move to accomplish His eternal purpose. He created man for this purpose. And from that day unto the present day God has moved in, through and with man. First to redeem and then to from His redeemed into His corporate counterpart, the Church.

The Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel describes this move as the move of a great wheel turning upon the earth as God moves ever closer to His ultimate goal. Even as we read the history of His people, Israel we need to see this move. As we come again today not just to the book of Ezekiel but specifically to the book of Joshua where we see His move as we’re about ready to take a major advance. more…

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Joshua (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

Much of the Old Testament is devoted to history, the history of great men, the history of great nations, especially Israel and the history of God’s people. But you may not realize it is also God’s history, the history of His move to carry out and accomplish His eternal purpose.

The books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth are among the books of history in the Old Testament and even in these books with their rich and colourful stories, if we have eyes to see, we can see the history of God in the move of His economy. That would be our focus for the next several weeks as we come to these wonderful books and see Christ in them, in the light of His eternal economy.

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Joshua (Program #14) – Three Particular Matters Concerning the Allotment of the Land and the Departure of Joshua

The two concluding chapters of the book of Joshua concern his departure and his deep burden to charge the children of Israel not to forsake Jehovah as they were endeavoring to possess the land of Canaan. If they did he warned the ungodly nations that were in the land will become a snare to them. What a fitting conclusion coupled with an equally fitting warning. A warning that is still be heeded by God’s people today.  We will consider the final chapters of Joshua on our life study today and several meaningful points in our fellowship as we look back over this book.

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Joshua (Program #13) – Ten Aspects of Christ

In the book of Mathew, one of the early names given to the Lord Jesus was Emmanuel, which means God with us. In Isiah chapter 8 Canaan the good land is called the land of Emmanuel, clearly identify the good land as a type of Christ. Canaan is a land that is rich in its’ variety. Listen to the wonderful details given to us in Deuteronomy 8 “For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of waterbrooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains; A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey; A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity; you will not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you can mine copper. And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Jehovah your God for the good land which He has given you.”

Actually it takes all the rich details in the Old Testament books like Deuteronomy and Joshua to depict all of the riches of the all-inclusive Christ.  Today as we look at 10 different aspects of Christ in the book of Joshua.

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