1-2The Lord did not force all the other nations to leave Israel’s land. He wanted to test the Israelites. None of the Israelites living at this time had fought in the wars to take the land of Canaan. So he let those other nations stay in their country. (He did this to teach the Israelites who had not fought in those wars.) These are the nations the Lord left in the land: Judges 3:1-2 ERV
Do you ever sit and ask God why you are experiencing all of these obstacles, hate, resistance, or just overall tough circumstances? I would like to direct these two verses in Judges 3 to your attention because I think that it reveals a very important reality that all are confronted with in life. There are battles that we are confronted with in life that we did nothing to deserve, or cause, but rather God allows these obstacles/tests to remain in front of us so that we may develop our faith, and learn what it is to trust in him. For the Israelites, an entire generation had died in the wilderness because they didn’t believe in God’s word and act on his directions in faith (Numbers 13& 14). God already knew that the current generation of Israelites who survived the wilderness and entered the promised land had the same heart, mind, and lack of faith as their parents and grandparents who died in the wilderness from a lack of faith. The Lord had to allow some enemies to remain so that he could teach them how to fight, and develop their trust, reliance, and obedience to him. For many of us, the only time that we seek God through prayer, and read his word is when we are confronted with troubles/stress; whenever everything is going good, we have no need for God. Because this generation of Israelites had never fought in battle, they didn’t know how to handle adversity, resistance, or disappointment. Because God is a loving father, he will not set up his children for failure OR abandon them. I believe this is an appropriate time to mention that your parents, grandparents, siblings, or friends faith can’t be used to fight your battles. You must learn how to fight your battles through your own relationship, trust, and faith in God. In order to defeat these enemies, their faith and reliance on God would need to “level up” as they progressed through enemies/challenges. You don’t defeat each enemy the same way, or even expect God to move the same way on level 4 as he did on level 1.
Reflection Time
Are you currently mad at God for some things in your life that you are currently battling? Ask God to reveal the purpose of these battles, and even if you don’t receive the answer that you are looking for, trust that he will bring you out successfully.
