God is With You

Read Judges 2:6-3
 
Judges 3:5-6 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, 6 and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.
 
AT times we speak of challenges in moving forward in our lives toward our goals. We might use the phrase, “two steps forward and one step back” to refer to slow progress. But we do have to admit this is progress, isn’t it? One step forward at a time is often a good way to move ahead on a sure pathway toward your goal. It’s a good plan for your faith journey, too.
   Israel, though, took three giant steps backward as they settled into Canaan. Here is how they were to go forward: Deuteronomy 7:2 “When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, 4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods…You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols.”
   Israel did not destroy these nations, but they lived, intermarried and worshiped with them. Taking these three steps backward, they nearly lost any ability to go forward.
   We can become resigned to Israel’s and God’s love story as an ongoing relationship breakdown between God and mankind. It’s as if a husband and wife are continually fighting and reconciling, repeating a cycle of broken commitments and emotional promises. Judges is that way as it describes times of captivity in Israel and times of victory, times of worship toward God and times of worship toward idols. And the cycle will not change much throughout the centuries. How then, does El Shaddai, the eternal God, keep the world going forward through such depraved rebellion?
   Perhaps the answer comes in God’s words, “I am the LORD.” From the time God went to Abraham to renew the covenant in Genesis 15 through Judges, he spoke, “I am the LORD.” about 90 times. He spoke it to make the promise, to assure Israel, to correct Israel, to confirm his law and to continue his grace. “I am the LORD.” defines a God, who will never stop from his purpose because we are unworthy. Instead, the LORD’s purpose is to make us worthy through his unstoppable love. “I am the LORD.” affirms his sovereign power. It tells us there is no other god, not other thing so good and right and true. “I am the LORD” defines the God, who is Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Spirit and King of Glory.
   God’s Love Story was written to glorify Gd’s Holy character. We can actually see God’s glory shining in stark contrast to the dark shadows that attempt to hide his love and power to come face to face with us.
   As we continue, let’s keep looking for the Light to shine. The great comfort and hope of God’s Love Story is you can “be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b