Daily Notes & Observations is a 365-part series that follows a chronological daily Bible reading schedule and contains a short article based on something found in the text for each day. This material is also available in paperback.

April 3, 2012

"Go and Cry Out to the Gods Which You Have Chosen" (4/3)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Judges 10-12.

Following their regular pattern, the Israelites fell away and “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 10:6). To punish them, God “sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. They afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year” (Judges 10:7-8). Then, as they typically did, the sons of Israel cried to God for help.

“Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.’ The Lord said to the sons of Israel, ‘Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress’” (Judges 10:10-14).

Time and time again, God proved His love for the sons of Israel in delivering them despite their disobedience. But they thought of God’s grace as a reason to tolerate sin, just as many do today (Romans 6:1-2).
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April 2, 2012

Spiritual Pacifism (4/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Judges 8-9.

After defeating the Midianites with only 300 men armed with trumpets and pitchers, Gideon pursued the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna. Along the way they stopped in Succoth hoping to receive bread to help them finish their mission. However, the leaders were not at all eager to help.

“Then Gideon and the 300 men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, weary yet pursuing. He said to the men of Succoth, ‘Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.’

“The leaders of Succoth said, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?’ Gideon said, ‘All right, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers’” (Judges 8:4-7).

The leaders of Succoth were perfectly willing to provide aid and support to Gideon and his men after the Midianite kings were killed. But while the kings were still alive, these men refused to get involved.
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April 1, 2012

"Surely I Will Be With You" (4/1)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Judges 6-7.

During the time when the Midianites were oppressing Israel, the people cried out to God. As He regularly did during this time period, God raised up one to deliver the people from their oppressors. On this occasion, God called Gideon for this task. Gideon, however, showed reluctance in accepting this role.

“The Lord looked at him and said, ‘Go in your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?’ He said to Him, ‘O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man’” (Judges 6:14-16).

God nullified Gideon’s excuses with the promise, “Surely I will be with you.”
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March 31, 2012

So That They Might Be Taught War (3/31)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Judges 3-5.

“Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly)” (Judges 3:1-2).

Though the Israelites were now inhabiting the land of Canaan, there were still going to be wars and conflicts. It was important for the new generation to be willing and able to carry on the fight for the promised land.

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March 30, 2012

There Arose Another Generation Who Did Not Know the Lord (3/30)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Judges 1-2.

“The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten. And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

“All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done in Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals” (Judges 2:7-11).

In the days of Joshua, the Israelites were, for the most part, faithful to the Lord. This faithfulness continued to the next generation. But sadly, the following generation did not exhibit such faithfulness and dedication to the Lord. What happened?
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March 29, 2012

"You Will Not Be Able to Serve the Lord" (3/29)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Joshua 22-24.

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

This is one of the more well-known verses in the Bible. Joshua, toward the end of his life, challenged the Israelites to choose to either serve God or not. His decision was already made – he and his house would serve the Lord. But he told them they would have to make their own choice.
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March 28, 2012

"The Lord Gave Israel All the Land Which He Had Sworn to Give" (3/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Joshua 19-21.

After the land of Canaan was divided among the tribes of Israel, a concluding statement is made about the certainty of God’s promises.

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:43-45).

God made the promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8). This passage shows us that God’s promise was fulfilled.
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