JACOB: Why didn’t they get it? Why don’t we?
There is a sense from some people that the Israelites in the Old Testament were fools because they got to see the amazing and miraculous power of God and they didn’t get it.
Some people think, “But, God did the miracles to get them out of Egypt and they turned their backs on Him and by the time we get to Judges, they are all doing whatever they want and have forgotten all about
God until they need Him.” Really? Shouldn’t that sound a bit familiar?
You may have had similar thoughts, but consider the following:
They wandered 40 years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land.
It took them roughly seven years to conquer the Promised Land.
It took about another 10 years for Joshua and the elders to die off.
Add all these figures together and you have 57 years.
How much has the spiritual climate of the United States changed since 1967?
Go just a few Judges into the future and you have the following:
Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.
They had rest for 40 years after Othniel delivered them.
They served
Eglon 18 years.
They had peace for 80 years after Ehud delivered them.
There is some undetermined amount of time during which Shamgar delivered them.
They served Jabin 20 years.
They had peace for 40 years after Jael delivered them.
They served Midian seven years.
They had peace for 40 years after Gideon delivered them.
This is just the first eight chapters of Judges.
The total number of years so far is 318 years!
How much has the United States changed since 1706? (We weren’t a nation until 1776!)
All of this is to prove a point that we often look at the lives of the Israelites in the Old Testament with a sense of superiority. We have embraced Jesus as Savior and Lord (if you have). We know that He is the Messiah that was promised. We know the fulfillment of
God’s plan that was rejected by Israel and has been given to the Gentiles for a time. They will have to wait until the Tribulation when they will have 144,000 witnesses (on earth!) to share the gospel with them and then they will come to faith an realize we were right all along.
Rather than having that sense of superiority, which we should not have, we need to read the account of their situations and be instructed lest we repeat the mistakes therein. How many times have we as a nation fallen into the same pattern we see in Israel in the Old Testament? Things are going well, so we think we don’t need God. When things get rough, we cry out. We stand on the Capitol steps and sing God Bless America while holding hands with people who are fellow citizens, but political opponents.
Instead, we need to place the full weight of our lives, salvation, politics, success, and strategies squarely upon the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His right to rule and reign in our hearts as it is in Heaven. As we follow Him, we will find that the struggle is real. We are not better than anyone who has come before, anyone who is struggling now, or any who will come later. We are sinners who have found a Savior to be enough. We need to pray, share, and work until the whole world knows. He is all. He is to be praised. He is the example. He is enough!