Musing – What do we have to do to keep the Victory?

 

Hebraic Musing – What do we have to do to keep the Victory?

The Israelites won an important battle when they conquered the Promised Land.  They fought and won, BUT… the LORD chastised them.  “And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?” Judges 3:2 NKJV   I might ask a similar question of us Christians; why do we drift away from the LORD?   Are we truly discerning?

The LORD had already warned the Israelites in Judges 2.  “You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.  But you have not obeyed My voice.  Why have you done this?  Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’  So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.” Judges 2:4 NKJV   Another warning!

What was the start of the problem?  “Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.” Judges 3:5-6   Were mixed marriages the LORD’s idea?  Were the Israelites to serve God, or other gods?!?!

Judges 3:7-11 describes the result, the problem.  “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.”  Then “the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel…” and “So the land had rest for forty years.”

But again, Judges 3:12-30 describes how “the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD.”  As a result -- “So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.  But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man.”  Ehud’s method of killing the fat Eglon is a favorite children’s story!  Then Ehud’s followers “killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped.  So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.”

But once again, Judges 3:31 tells us that after Ehud’s deliverance “was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.”  That’s a rather miraculous accomplishment considering that an ox goad is not an effective weapon!   Do we need the ‘right’ weapons when we have the LORD on our side?

There is a penalty for worshipping the other gods of this world.  We see above how the Israelites learned that.  “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Deut.5:9-10   Do we hate God, or do we love Him and keep His commandments?

How might this apply to us?  We too have become leaders in our church, family, and/or fellowships.  What can we do to be sure we do not fall away by becoming like the world around us?  Equally important, how do we help the next generations to grow up as mighty Christians?  

Points to ponder

Do you and I as mature believers want to “pass on” our faith to the next generation(s)?

Did the Israelites practice discernment?   Or were they satisfied with being “almost right”?

How important is bold leadership amongst Christians?

Do we need to “wait” for the right weapons when we have the LORD on our side?

How often do we find ourselves serving the gods of the world?

♫  Be bold, be strong. For the Lord thy God is with thee.  We are not afraid, we are not dismayed,
            Because we’re walking in faith and victory. For the Lord your God is with thee. ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                         June 23, 2026         
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Note – Inspired by Dennis Rittle’s June 3, 2026 message at New Hope Assembly