Judges 2

 (Judges 2:1)
 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you.

From the beginning of Judges chapter 2, God’s messenger came to Poking to remind the Israelis. God leaded the Israelis to get out of Egypt to go to the promise land and not abolish the covenant made with the Israelites. Regrettably, the Israelites deserted God, and the repeated belief cycle model was staged in the era of the judges. When the Judge were alive the Israelites will serve God but once Judge died Gentiles arose, and the Israelites abandoned the Lord who brought them out of Egypt and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Instead, they served the Baals, worshiped other gods, and aroused God's anger. In the end, the angry God handed them to the enemy, and the extremely painful Israelites cried out to God because of being oppressed. God raised up judges to save them from the enemy's hand. And after they were comfortable, they abandon God again.

The Israelites experienced seven rises and falls during the time of the judges. "Stubborn and rebellious" should be enough to describe the Israelis at that time. In contrast, today, in such apocalyptic generations, has there ever been such a vicious circle in your daily life? There are too many temptations and temptations to induce us to sin. This reminds me of the prayer at the end of the meeting. Sometimes preacher led the congregation to recite the Lord’s Prayer together. It turns out that in the Lord’s Prayer, it is so important to pray to God, "Do not let us meet temptations, and save us from evil."

The words in the Bible let us understand God's commandments and let us remember the lessons of the past. As a believer, you must not follow the example of the Israelites: other generations that arise, do not know the Lord, and do what is evil in the eyes of the Lord to serve the Baals. We have the responsibility of educating the next generation to know God, love God, and obey God. It is only after becoming a mother that I understand the difficulties of parents. I hope that what I can leave to my children is the beautiful faith that can accompany them in their long lives, and I also hope that they can hold on to the hand of God.

 (Deuteronomy 28:1-8) 1 "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 "The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

How can such a beautiful and good promise and agreement not be left to the next generation!

Translated by 余姿瑩

Judges 1

(Judges 1:1) 1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?"

After Joshua’s death, Israel people still ask for God and God replied to those people’s question. In the end of Joshua, it talked about that the Israel people made an agreement to serve God only. When Joshua and elders who know God were still alive, the Israel serve God (Joshua 24:31). Israel people are ready to receive the promise of land’s grace. However, after they live in the Cannan. Their sprit life disappears and were no longer devoted to faith. After Joshua and elders died, the Israel leadership was in a vacuum and plunged into anarchy. Israel people cannot enjoy a free and prosperous life, but enter the dark age of national history.

(Judges 1:21) But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

(Judges 1:27) However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.

(Judges 1:29) Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

(Judges 1:30) Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.

(Judges 1:31) Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.

(Judges 1:33) Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.

In the next few short verses, the conversation began to change, describing that most of the tribes did not implement Joshua’s will which is to drive out the residents of that place (Joshua 23:5). Incomplete removal of evil often leads to tragic endings. We must be careful not to compromise with evil.  Judges talked about the crimes committed by the people of Israel, and the consequences of their crimes. No matter how light the crime is, it will affect everyone. Starting from Achan’s love for fine clothes and gold and silver and now they have not driven out the local residents. All fell into sin; simply put, the reason for the rapid decline in the spirituality of the Israelites was sin---the sin of the individual, the sin of the nation. Unwilling to completely obey God, unwilling to annihilate the local enemies, and later even intermarried with the locals and worshipped idols, each did whatever they wanted.

Soon after, the people of Israel oppressed by enemy. They seek God in pain. Because of compassion and love for the people, judges were raised to save them, and the Israelites enjoyed peace. But they healed their scars and forgot to hurt them, disobeyed God, and started another cycle. Reading the Judges, in addition to understanding the heroic deeds of the judges, we should also pay attention to their process of relying on God and their obedience to God's commands.

(Joshua 3:6) Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

Translated by 余姿瑩

 

As for Me and My Family, We will Serve God (Joshua 24)

 (Joshua 24:15) And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Religion can be said as something that will become a lifestyle for you after you believe in God. Everyone starts seeking the real God at different times. Some people start to find God when their lives become desperate. Some people know God because their parents tell them about this true God, and pass this faith to them. This is to tell us that God's divinity and eternal power are knowable. Everyone should take the chance to know this true God in heaven.

God chosen Joshua to be a spiritual leader, when his life came to the last part, he told God's chosen people” I am going the way of all the earth (Joshua 23:14). Joshua encouraged people that they must follow true God. Look back at how God led them out of the Gentile land from the Pola River, help them to get away from not believing the one true God. Now they enter Canaan, this is God's grace. Joshua not only encouraged the people but lead as an example telling people that he and his family will believe in Jesus the true God. Telling his whole life's religion and show that his expectation on his descendant, that they only believe in this true God.

(Acts 16:29-30)
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

There was a jailer who was mentioned in the Bible. He was once desperate because there was an earthquake which cause all the jail doors opened. All the prisoner's chains were opened. The jailer woke up and saw all the doors were opened. He thought that all prisoners escaped. He was about to kill himself but God's grace appeared to him. Those prisoners did not escape. God arranged two of his workers Paul and Silas to sing in jail. They did not escape. Seeing them like that makes him realize that this is grace from God. He humbly asked how to be saved. This grace also appeared to his family. His whole family accepted the baptism of forgiveness and became very joyful.

This precious faith cannot be only for oneself. We need to pass it from generation to generation. We need to use "home" as the unit. The whole family believes in God. People who are reading this article. We sincerely invite you, grasp the time to accept the baptism of the blood of the Lord Jesus, serve and worship the only true God. To our church members. The whole family belief in the Lord is our goal. The whole family believing God, worshiping God is our life benchmark. The book Joshua is a chapter talking about the passing of religion. Now we have finished this book, hoping that all of our readers will keep this precious faith, follow God's way. Hope that all of our readers can be like Joshua: As for me and my family, we will serve God.

(Psalm 71:17-18) 17 O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. 18 Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.

Translated by 余姿瑩