God's Goodness

Judges 10:6-12

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in
the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and
Ashtoreth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods
of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of
the children of Ammon, and the gods of the
Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served
not him.
7 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel,
and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines,
and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the
children of Israel: eighteen years, all the
children of Israel that were on the other side
Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in
Gilead.
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan
to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin,
and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel
was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord,
saying, We have sinned against thee, both because
we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the Lord said unto the children of Israel,
Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from
the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from
the Philistines?
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the
Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and
I delivered you out of their hand.

Judges 10 is another chapter in a recurring story in the lives of the people of Israel. This one took place during the time of the Judges. The people had seen the hand of God deliver and protect them time after time, yet they seemed to quickly forget His goodness and might and turn away from Him to a number of false "gods."

It's easy to turn up our noses at the Israelites for their lack of faithfulness to God. But we modern-day Christians are faced with - and, far too often, fall for - the same kinds of temptations the people of Israel faced in the days of the Judges. We may not turn to and worship another god in the most literal sense. And we don't completely abandon the true and living God. But we're still prone to turning to other "gods" - such as our own talents and abilities, our own knowledge, or our own strength - in order to find security God Himself wants to provide us.

There is no better or more secure place for a believer to live than under the protective hand of the heavenly Father. Remind yourself daily of all that God has done for you in the past, and know that He is still bigger than any problem or temptation you may face.

John 3:16-18

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but
he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.

The Grim Reaper Preacher says, "Try reading the Bible from cover to cover - you'll like it."