Consequences

Day one hundred ninety-eight

This morning my prayer was focused on gratitude for the fact that my son has chosen to dedicate 2 years of his life to serve the Lord.  I am grateful for the blessings this decision will bring him and his family, the truth is he hasn't even left and we are already receiving blessings!  My testimony of the fact that God keeps His promises has grown tremendously and I can see the testimonies of my family members growing too.  It is also a great example of how one persons decision can change the lives of those around them.  So many lessons to learn and we are just beginning on this adventure!  What a great God!

Joshua 2

Yesterday I talked about the compromises that Israel made, today I would like to discuss the consequences:

Because of their sin, Israel faced the Lord’s judgment.  Notice what happened to Israel:

2:3  They Endured A Divine Sentence – God vowed to remove His protecting hand from Israel.  He would allow the Canaanites they had compromised with to be a thorn in the side of Israel.  He would allow the false gods of Canaan to be a snare to them.

What would a divine sentence look like today?  Here are some things I have been watching:

Militarily being stretched to the limit.  Are we overcoming our enemies or are we being stretched so far that we will become vulnerable?

Economically we are in serious trouble.  We are dealing with this right now! 

Culturally, we are fighting a losing battle.  The divorce rates have quadrupled in the past 30 years. Teen suicide has doubled and violent crime has risen 500%.  One out of every three children is born to a single mother.  In some cities the illegitimacy rates are as high as 80%!

 Morally we are totally bankrupt. See my last post.

Spiritually we are in a deplorable condition.  The Scriptures and prayer have been removed from our schools.  The Ten Commandments continue to be attacked and relegated to the dust bin of history.  They say they might be dangerous to some child who might read them.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather take my chances with someone who had been exposed to the bible, prayer and the Ten Commandments; than someone who had been taught that there is no such thing as right and wrong.

These are but a few of the signs that concern me.

2:4-5  They Expressed Deep Sorrow – That generation called on the Lord because of their sins.  It seems a good example to follow.

 2:6-15  They Evidenced Deepening Sin – The day came when Israel totally walked away from God, (2:11-15).  Their compromise was transformed into wholesale sin and total disregard for the will of God.  For this, Israel paid a terrible price.  Judgment came and they suffered.

2:16  Even in those days the Lord tried to send help to deliver Israel out of this situation.  They did not always listen and often when the judge was gone the people returned to their sins.  The Lord is trying to help us in our difficult times too.  He sends us leaders that teach us what we need to know to get through these tough times. Will we be like Israel or will we listen?  Will we repent or continue to live in sin? Will we turn from the Lord or turn to Him?  I hope we learn from the Israelites and not become like them!