King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Planting, Watering, And Sprouting
Date: Monday March 12, 2012
Today's Chapters: Judges 1-3

Hello My Friend,

As Christians we are constantly being tempted not by God or even Satan, but by the world. Yes, Satan can plant desires in our minds, but we are the ones who can water it and sprout the seeds. The only way we can guard ourselves against the temptations of the world and keep from falling into corruption is through the power of God, His Word, and planting, watering, and sprouting that in us. Yes, it is good to have a man of God to guide us, it's great to have Bible studies and devotions like these to help us understand God's Word, but what good is that man or Bible studies if we do not get in His Word ourselves. We cannot live the life God wants us to live without hearing His Word upon reading it for ourselves. “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God...But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)..So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” -Romans 10:3,6,17.

The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twenty-one chapters. The author of the book is Samuel and it was written to Israel, the time line of these events took place approximately from 1425 BC to 1120 BC. The purpose of the book was to record Israels journey after the death of Joshua, their repeated sin, and the judges God sent, who ruled, to get them redeemed and right with God. What we are to learn from the book is that God's chastisement is for the benefit of all God's people to turn us away from sin and to the Savior. “And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” - Judges 10:15,16.

The children of Israel are now facing life without their leader, Joshua, what were they to do. There were to do just as Joshua said, drive out all the inhabitants from the land and follow God's commands. Well, they followed some of the commands, but failed to do one important thing, drive out all the inhabitants from the land. First, we learn that the tribes of Judah and Simeon worked together to get the people out of their towns, but the rest of the tribes did not want to fight or were afraid of them, the result, either the Canaanites paid them or even worse they paid the Canaanites to keep the peace.

“And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries...Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.” - Judges 1:28-30,33-35.

The word tributary means paying money to another, either from compulsion, as an acknowledgment of submission, or to secure protection, or for the purpose of purchasing peace. When Jesus Christ died on the cross He paid tribute to God for every sinner, He paid the debt owed to them to find peace with God. All who call on Christ are secured, their debt is paid in full, and peace is made with God. What better way to give thanks for the debt paid is by honoring the promise we made. God will never expect us to do something we are unable to do, therefore, He will never ask us to do it. What He does ask is that we give it our all. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30,31.

As God watched Israel compromising with the Canaanites, He did what He promised, He made them to be a snare in their side. God confronted Israel, reminding them of that very thing. “And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you...And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.” - Judges 2:1-3,14-16.

A snare is a pest, someone who always brings trouble, while God did make the Canaanites a snare to Israel, He did send judges from time to time in hopes that they would turn from following the false gods or their tribes and return to Him, the only living God. Snares do one thing in life, keep us closer to Jesus. “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” - 2 Corinthians 12:8,9.

Israel was governed by judges for more than three hundred years. While they had a judge among them they were obedient, followed God wholeheartedly, and prospered, but when the judge died they quickly fell right back into the corruption of those who lived in the world, becoming enslaved to them. “Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;..And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.” - Judges 3:1,2,5-9.

While we cannot always be around godly people it is important that we live each day abiding in the only vine that gives us life. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” - John 15:1-4.

Today's Psalm: 1:3 - “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Today's Proverb: 4:5 - “ Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.”

Today's Prayer: God, While we cannot avoid the snares in life that seem to never go away, we can overcome them by planting, watering, and sprouting the seed of Your Word in us. You are the rich soil that nurtures us into beautiful flowers and makes the thorns less painful. I trust You and know that good things will truly come to me as I remain faithful to You and abide in Your vine. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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