May 8

Judges 1

The tribes of Israel do an inadequate job of vanquishing the aliens living in the Promised Land.

INSIGHT

The book of Judges is a pathetic chronicle of a weak and willful people. Soon after Joshua’s death, the Israelites begin to fall short of the directives he gave them. They fail at the most crucial point and tolerate the presence of immoral idol worshipers among them. The story which follows is one of sexual immorality, murder, idolatry, corruption, and greed. The depths to which the Israelites plunge is truly disgusting – reminding us of the warnings given by Moses and Joshua. Turning your back on God always has tragic consequences. When we read about the Israelites, their foolishness seems so clear. Yet when we are faced with temptations today, it doesn’t seem so clear. We can learn from the past, however. The consequences can be just as grave for us. A wise man walks with the Lord and is saved.

PRAYER

Because we can be delivered from bondage to sin, offer your praise for the Lord’s goodness:
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions…
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord (Psalm 104:24, 34).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
He is despised and rejected by men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him….
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:3, 6).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• Greater faithfulness with your time
• The president and national leaders
• Whatever else is on your heart

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
The Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!(Psalm 84:11-12).